Pirate and Prejudice
by rubberglue
Summary: Rescued from the stormy waters of the Ealdor Seas, Arthur Pendragon, son of the King of Camelot faced a new threat aboard the ship Excalibur. Captain Guinevere Thomas, the notorious pirate, brazenly offered the young prince a deal of mutual pleasure. Gripped by their insistent mutual passion, he was swept by waves of desire he had never known, and was powerless to resist her.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This was written for the unconventional courtship challenge in which you take one of those romance novels and basically rewrite it for your fandom. Feeling there's not enough pirate AG in this world, here's mine. :D

* * *

_It started with a whisper, then the voices got louder, more excited, until a young boy ran towards the town square yelling, "Excalibur! I see the Excalibur!"_

_A group of young children, too young to understand the dangers, rushed to the port and watched as the large ship with its readily recognizable red flag sailed past in the distance. Within moments, their parents hustled them back home._

_"The most vicious pirate sails the Excalibur," one mother said to her child. "We don't want to draw their attention."_

* * *

A shadow fell over her and Gwen moved the arm covering her face, squinting her eyes against the glare of the sun.

"Are you sure you should be out here? You know how easily you burn," muttered Gwen.

Ignoring her words, Merlin flopped onto the deck next to her and stretched out. "I'm bored."

"What happened to your invisibility experiment?" Her arm fell back across her face, protecting her eyes as she wriggled her toes. After the weeks of lashing rain, Gwen was determined to soak up as much sun as possible. She missed the smell of the ocean and the feel of the ship rocking gently beneath her.

"Yeah, that wasn't going too well."

"You haven't blown up your bunk again, have you?" Gwen felt Merlin shift, probably to make himself more comfortable. He was all skin and bones and the hard wooden floor never provided him much comfort.

"That happened 3 years ago. Can we put it behind us?"

Gwen turned her face to look at him, frowning. "Nope. I can still remember the splinters I received repairing that hole. It's a good thing Dad didn't make you walk the plank."

"That wouldn't have been much use, seeing that Killy would probably just come rescue me." Merlin sighed loudly. "You would think running away to be a pirate would be fun. It just seems like long days of sunbathing to me. What are we? The pirates who don't do anything?"

Gwen was feeling far too lazy to move, but she did swing her leg so that it connected nicely with  
Merlin's ankle, then she smiled at his indignant yelp. "We did have that little fishing boat incident last week."

"Ah, that was fun. The frightened faces, the quivering knees, the crying children."

"Say what you want, Merlin. You'll never convince me that you'll make a halfway decent pirate. I have it on good authority that you even put in extra cushions on the boat after you fixed it." Disapproval crept into Gwen's voice. "That was risky."

Merlin laughed. "They were so afraid of you, they wouldn't have noticed those cushions. And please, putting extra cushions is nothing compared to the fact that you basically risked our ship to rescue them from the storm."

"We could let them die at sea!"

"No, we couldn't. Which is why I am utterly amazed every moment of how you maintain your reputation as the scourge of the seven seas."

Gwen rolled her eyes, not that Merlin could see. "I don't even know where these seven seas are and people want to see what they see. I just help them along."

"Never thought of landing at some island port, finding a nice man to marry and settling down?" Merlin teased, knowing her answer very well after all these years of friendship.

"The only thing marriage is good for is heart break and after you-know-who, I've sworn off all men. And I've the Excalibur, you, the sun, the sea and mostly importantly, my freedom. What more do I need?" She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I'm hungry and it's almost lunch time. Don't you have fishing to do?"

"Aye, aye captain." Gwen heard Merlin scramble up from beside her, then his heavy footsteps slowly petered out, leaving her alone. Cracking open her eyes, she looked up at the flag hoisted high above the ship, fluttering in the sky. She hated it but it seemed that it was tradition that every pirate worth their salt had a skull and crossbones on their flag. At least hers was red and not boring black like every other pirate she had the misfortune to meet on her journeys.

"Captain Gwen."

With a sigh, Gwen sat up. Couldn't a pirate captain sunbathe in peace anymore? "What is it, Percy?"

"There's a ship on fire in a distance."

Shading her eyes, Gwen stood and scoured the horizons. Smoke bellowed in the distance and Gwen sighed. All her years on the sea and the biggest accident she'd been in was when Merlin blew a hole through his bunk. Why couldn't all these people take more care with their ships? "Right. I guess we should go see what's happening."

"There's more." Percy stood next to her, his spyglass loosely held in one hand. "It flies the Pendragon flag."

* * *

He saw the bright red flag before he saw the pirate skull and he knew his day was only going to get worse. He'd consider it a success if all he lost was his ship. All around him, his men ran around in some sort of controlled panic as they frantically tried to put out the fire that had erupted in the galley.

"What do you want us to do?" Leon asked, the undercurrent of panic in his voice, evidence that he too noticed the approaching ship. Arthur didn't blame him. No one sailing the Garnet Sea wanted to cross paths with Captain Guinevere and those who lived to tell the tale of their encounter refused to talk about it except to agree that she was best avoided at all costs.

"There's a fire burning. We don't have much choice." Even as he said those words, Arthur could feel fear curl her cold fingers round his heart. When he'd volunteered to join the crew of the Aithusa, he'd imagined a few months away from his overbearing father, a few months of freedom before returning to a marriage his father had arranged and a life tied to Camelot. Now, he was going to die – either at the hands of an unforgiving sea or the most vicious pirate who roamed the Garnet Sea.

He turned to Leon. "Gather Gwaine and his men and load the guns. We're not going down without a fight."

"Of course, my lord." With a quick bow, Leon walked away. From the quarterdeck, Arthur scanned the ship. A little more time and fire might have been tamed, but with Excalibur approaching, time was no longer something they had. The deckhands would continue to fight the fire but the rest of his men would have to be prepared to fight something worse. With a sigh, he grabbed his sword, kept his eyes on the approaching pirate ship and prayed that their firepower would be enough to keep her at bay.

Arthur paced the gunwalls, checking that everything was loaded correctly. From where he stood, he could see a figure on The Excalibur's quarterdeck. The figure was slighter than he expected, yet it stood confidently staring out at his ship. For a brief moment, Arthur felt their eyes meet and a shiver ran through him, but that was foolish. The Excalibur was still too far away.

"On my count," he said, his voice battling the roar of the fire and the crash of the waves. "On my count, we fire! Understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

The Excalibur approached slowly, the red flag flying almost mockingly in the wind. Red – to symbolize all the blood of the men who'd Captain Guinevere had killed over the years since she inherited the ship from her father.

"Now!" Arthur yelled, raising his sword. The ship rocked violently under him as the guns fired into The Excalibur. Part of the Royal Navy, Aithusa was equipped with the latest firearms but as Arthur watched with dawning horror, the Excalibur simply repelled the shots fired at it.

So it was true, Arthur realized. All those stories of the Excalibur being magic. Arthur had long thought that they were yarns, made up by men who couldn't accept defeat by a lass. That cold hand around his heart only tightened its grip.

"Hold your fire. Move back."

Slowly, but surely, the Excalibur drew up to them and for the first time in his life, Arthur Pendragon lay eyes on the infamous Captain Guinevere. One leg leaning against the side of the ship, arms crossed in front of her, her cutlass hanging from her hip, she watched passively as her ship neared his.

For years, Arthur had heard tales of her, some told of a pirate so beautiful she enchanted all the men who looked upon her face. Others told of a pirate so loathsome, as if her every sin were etched on her face. But now, as he looked at her, he realized she was neither of those.

She was dressed in tight breeches and shirt, tight enough that he could see her curves, from the roundness of her breasts to the slight curve of her hips. A bandana was tied around her head, preventing her long, dark curls from flying in the wind. She wasn't anything like he imagined. Unlike the ladies of the court, she was not delicate or fair. Her skin, dark even without the sun's influence, glowed with good health and he could see the strength in the way she held herself. Despite that, her face was deceivingly innocent and when, finally, her eyes met his, he was taken aback by the deep brown depths. No, Captain Guinevere wasn't gorgeous like Lady Mithian, his soon-to-be wife, yet mixed in with the fear he had been feeling for quite a while, was the very definite pull of attraction.

His death was imminent, and here he was thinking about how strangely attractive his executioner was. A wry smile crossed his face.

* * *

Percy lowered the gangplank and Gwen strode across to the main deck of the Aithusa. A group of men had gathered on the deck, all with familiar expressions of fear and defiance all over their faces. All except one – a blonde man, dressed in the same worn clothes as the rest, whose eyes she could feel roam over her body. His gaze made her body tingle, a feeling she hadn't encountered since the days of Lancelot. And when their eyes met, it felt as if a current went through her. For the first time in months, she felt a nervous flutter in her stomach.

"Who's in charge here?" Casually, she moved her hand to her cutlass.

The blonde man, with his intent blue gaze, took a step forward. "I am."

Since he had no qualms examining her, Gwen did the same, letting her eyes travel over him, from top to toe. He was handsome, she had to admit but the blonde, blue eyed ones weren't really her type. While his clothes looked like they had seen better days, they fit well, hugging his broad chest. Her eyes flicked back to his and noted that unlike the first time, his eyes were darker and shuttered. A smile played on his lips.

"You find it funny? That this might be the last day of your life?" Gwen asked, slowly pulling out her cutlass. From the corner of her eyes, she saw his men take a step back. Footsteps at her back told her that Merlin had joined her.

The blonde shook his head. "I was wondering, where is your parrot?"

"Do you also wonder why I have two hands?" Gwen quirked an eyebrow, torn between amusement at his question and annoyance at his lack of respect. Merlin coughed softly. "Your ship, if you haven't noticed is on fire. And," she nodded towards the blaze, "it appears to be getting bigger. And your crew has stopped putting it out."

"It appears that we are doomed either way," said the man. "What do you want?"

Another dark-haired man stepped forward. Unlike the blonde, he held his sword up threateningly. Emboldened by him, a number of men moved forward again. "We won't go down without a fight."

The blonde raised a hand, holding the other man back.

She glanced at the Pendragon crest flying from the mast, high and proud, uncaring about the conflict on the deck. The last time she'd seen the Pendragon crest, it had been the day her father was killed. Sucking in a breath, she kept her eyes on the captain.

"Merlin, you might as well make yourself useful and put out the fire. And Elena, get the crew to tie them all up."

The dark-haired man lunged forward together with a handful of others. Her own crew surged forward as well. Gwen immediately grabbed their captain, her cutlass slicing against his upper arm, eliciting a yell from him. His own sword was unsheathed but he'd been taken by surprise and was held tightly by Gwen before he could react, her cutlass dangerously close to his neck.

"Don't make me kill your captain now!"

The scuffle on the deck stopped at once. Percy held two men by their collars while Elena had a sword at another's throat. The dark-haired man raised his hand in surrender, dropping his sword to the deck.

"Now tie them up," she snapped. "And put out the damn fire."

With a hiss, the fire suddenly went out. Merlin shrugged when Gwen met his eyes. She shook her head. Using magic in front of people associated with the Pendragons was a death sentence. Merlin was far too cocky about her reputation.

"Magic," gasped the captain.

"And now you know my secrets."

"I suspected," he choked out. "What do you want from us?"

Pulling tightly at the knot she tied, she pushed the captain onto the deck. His sword, she took and tossed it behind her. He stumbled a little, then landed on his knees, arms tied behind his back and glared up at her. "What do you want," he asked again.

"I'm sure you've heard stories about me," she said, surveying the men in front of her.

The dark-haired man spat. "You're going to kill us all and take our ship. What are you waiting for?"

Merlin suddenly moved over to her, whispering into her ear. "The captain is Arthur Pendragon, the crown prince."

Shocked, Gwen pulled Merlin further away. "Are you sure?"

"He is wearing the royal signet - only Lady Morgana, Prince Arthur and King Uther wear it. What - Gwen!"

Without waiting for Merlin to continue, Gwen marched back to the kneeling prince. After all this time. "It's far too much trouble to kill all of you and your ship is too damaged to be worth anything. Pendragon is what I'm going to do. I'm going to take your captain as trophy and the rest of you can take your pathetic ship and leave."

Merlin frowned while Percy and Elena stared at her. She ignored them, walked over to the captain and yanked him to his feet. "Resist," she muttered, "and I will set your whole ship on fire."

"My father -"

"I know who your father is, my lord," she interrupted, then pushed him onto the gangplank. "Let's go. Leave them tied up, I'm sure they will free themselves soon enough."

* * *

Gwen stood on the quarterdeck and stared out at the horizon. Her fingers curled around the railing as the cold wind buffeted her face. Regret was already creeping into her heart like the night chill.

"Percy put the prince in the hold. I've also ensured that the Aithusa will land safely." Merlin voice was neutral but Gwen wasn't foolish enough to believe he wasn't questioning her actions from earlier.

"You think I was being foolhardy."

Merlin leaned on the railings, his sigh carried on the wind. "The whole Pendragon navy will be after you."

"It's not like we can't take them on."

A raised eyebrow. "You mean, it's not like Merlin and Killy can't take them on. And a war will entail casualties. A war this size, too many casualties."

She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have consulted you. But when you told me he was Uther's son, I just - I guess I just wanted revenge."

"Revenge. I never thought I would hear that word coming from you."

"Neither did I. Neither did I." She pushed herself away from the railings. "I'm going to ask for a ransom. If Uther is sensible, he'll pay it and we can send the prince back and that would be that."

"Let's hope so." Merlin didn't sound convinced. And frankly, neither was she. "What's done is done. Dinner should be ready. Come on."

Arthur could feel the sweat rolling down his back. The shackles were heavy against his wrists, cutting into his skin. Captain Guinevere's large bodyguard had dragged him down here, secured him to a metal rod on the ground then left him all alone, with nothing but the sound of his own harsh breaths. He'd expected the place to smell of death - god knows how many men she'd imprisoned down here - but aside from the familiar scent of damp wood and spices, there was no lingering stench of blood or decay. It was disconcerting. As disconcerting as the fact that instead of plundering his well-stocked ship, she'd simply put out the fire and let them go. Let them all go, except him.

In the silence, his stomach rumbled. Was he going to starve to death here in the dark hold of the Excalibur? Or would his wound, left untreated, get infected then slowly kill him? He wondered if Aithusa was still seaworthy and if so, how long it would be before she reached Camelot and his father alerted to his plight. Would Captain Guinevere have had him killed by then? Or would she slowly torture him until his body and mind could take it no longer as revenge?

He was still pondering his fate when he heard the door to the hold creak open and a shaft of light cut through the darkness.

The footsteps were light. Not the bodyguard then. Perhaps the other lady pirate or the magical one. But as the figure came nearer, he knew who it was. The captain herself. He watched as she made her way to him, watched the way her hips moved from side to side. Her hair was tied up this time and her face was tight with tension.

"Here. Dinner." Thrusting out her arm, she held out a bowl.

He snorted. "I'm kinda trapped here. You'll just have to feed me."

"Your insolence doesn't amuse me," she snapped, even as she placed the bowl on the ground beside him, dug into her pockets and retrieved a key. Leaning over him, she began to unlock his shackles. Her unexpected nearness startled him and he sucked in a breath, a foolish action as all he got was a lungful of her scent – a mix of seawater, flowers and sweat. Her hair tickled his chin and from this distance, he realized that she had a sprinkle of freckles across her cheeks and nose. With her long lashes, the slight bite of her lip as she worked the key and her warm breath that ghosted across his arms, Arthur once again felt that unwelcomed tug of attraction.

She was a dangerous pirate, he reminded himself, no matter how her proximity made her heart race.

With a satisfying click, the shackles fell open and Arthur felt a lick of cool breeze against his sore wrists. She lifted her head and their eyes locked. She was too close, so close that all Arthur had to do was lean forwards slightly, and he'd be able to taste those lips, learn what her dusky skin felt like. Her wide brown eyes held an innocence that was incongruous to her reputation, inviting him to drown in them.

Her reputation. This was probably all a game to her.

With a jerk, he pulled back, dropping his gaze to his swollen wrists.

She pushed the bowl closer to him. "Eat up," she said before she stood, then stalked out of the hold. He wondered if he imagined the tremble in her voice. It took a while before his heart settled.

When the door to the hold opened again, just as he scraped up the last bit of tasteless gruel, he half-expected - wanted, if he was honest with himself - the Captain to return but it was just her large bodyguard, the one she called Percy.

"Come."

Arthur stood. Now that he was no longer chained, he briefly considered fighting his way to freedom, except he was one man without a weapon and while he might be able to take on the bodyguard, he was defenseless against magic. "Where are we going?"

Silently, Percy cuffed his wrists causing Arthur to wince at the metal sliding across his tender skin. "The Captain has arranged sleeping quarters for you."

Percy spoke with little inflection and Arthur was left to wonder as he walked in front if he was being serious. Why would Captain Guinevere provide him with sleeping quarters? What was she up to? Perhaps sleeping quarters was a euphemism for a torture chamber? He'd heard stories of the existence of an extensive torture chamber in her ship.

Unceremoniously, Arthur was shoved into a small room. Unlike the hold, there was a small window and a tiny bed Arthur knew wouldn't be very comfortable.

"I'm going to take off your shackles," intoned Percy. "Don't do anything foolish."

"What is she planning to do with me?" Arthur asked as he held out his arms.

Percy merely shrugged. "Whatever she wants. There will be a guard outside your room. Try to escape and you'll forfeit your life."

"My father -"

Something flashed in Percy's eyes. "Your father killed Captain Guinevere's father. You should count yourself lucky you still breathe." The cuffs in his hands, Percy shot him one last glare, then left the room, slamming the door behind him.

The bed was as uncomfortable as it looked and his wound still throbbed and burned. His wrists were sore to the touch. Yet, Arthur fell asleep easily, exhaustion from the day's events taking over his body.


	2. Chapter 2

"His wound needs looking after," said Percy.

"Who cares about him? Leave his wound. It'll get infected and he'll die a slow, painful death," said Elena between bites of bread. "What are your plans? Are we going to have to get ready for a war?"

"I'm going to ask for a ransom for the prince." Gwen pushed the grub on her plate around, her appetite strangely muted. "I'm sorry."

Elena and Percy exchanged a glance. "Uther is going to use this as an excuse to go after you. He won't pay the ransom."

Gwen looked at Percy, the truth of his words sinking in. "I might have been impulsive but we're committed to this course of action. I'm sorry I am dragging you into a war between us and the Pendragons."

Elena laughed. "It won't be our first. Your father lost the first one. We'll win this one."

"We will," said Merlin solemnly.

"Their firepower is many times ours. They have a battalion of ships and countless men willing to die for the Pendragon flag." Gwen played with her spoon. "It will not be an easy battle. But it will be weeks before they realise the prince is missing. We have that advantage."

"We also have your reputation," said Percy.

That made Gwen smile wryly. "My reputation - full of smoke and mirrors."

"That doesn't matter. The men will be quaking in their boots and that will do them in. But we need to keep the prince alive and his wound will do him in before his father's men arrive if we don't look after it."

With a sigh, Elena wiped her hands on her breeches. "Fine. I'll take care of it, but don't expect me to be gentle."

"No," said Gwen. "I'll do it."

At his door, she hesitated, wondering why she'd volunteered to do this, especially after what happened when she handed him his dinner. Every time her fingers brushed against him as she unlocked his shackles, a shiver had shot through her and later, for that infinitesimal moment, when he had stared at her as if he wanted to devour her, she had almost leaned closer so she could press her lips against his.

Gwen shook her head, then pushed the door open. She wasn't sure what she was expecting but it wasn't him fast asleep on the bed, his chest moving rhythmically with the ship. Quietly, she closed the door behind her, then stepped further into the small room. Next to the bed, she placed the shallow and bowl and dressing on the ground and gave in to her desire to stare at the prince. Percy was right - his wound looked bad, and for a moment, Gwen felt bad. Her eyes travelled up to his face. While awake, his face was tense, asleep, he looked relaxed, his lips slightly parted and his eyelashes resting on his cheeks.

It was only when he stirred, that Gwen realised she'd reached out to touch his cheek.

His hand clamped around her wrist, and she stifled a yelp. She tried to pull away but his hold was firm. Blinking, his blue eyes finally focused on her.

"Captain." His hold on her still tight, he moved so he was sitting up and she was balanced at the edge of his bed. "Captain," he repeated, his breath scuttling across her skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake.

"My lord," she said in reply.

"Arthur," he corrected.

"Arthur," she whispered, as, on its own accord, her free hand lifted and touched his cheek.

And then he was kissing her, his lips crushed against hers, while his hands threaded through her hair. Her own hands cradled his face, her palms relishing the feel of his beard-roughened skin against them. He tasted like the sea, salty and dangerous. How long has it been since she'd been kissed like this? How long since she'd felt so desired? She whimpered against his lips, when he fisted her hair, leaning into his hold. Her heart thumped as heat pooled low in her stomach.

"You're good," rasped Arthur, suddenly pushing her away.

For a moment, confusion reigned and she just stared at him. Cold, hard eyes stared back at her.

"I've heard stories of how you -"

Gwen shoved him hard and he fell back onto the bed. "And yet you fell for it, didn't you?"

Arthur's eyes narrowed in response. "What did you think would happen? I would fall for you then have my heart broken? I know you want revenge, Captain Guinevere," he sneered. "For what my father did. I assume you are keeping me alive for the prospect of greater rewards."

"Whatever I do to you, your family deserves it." She grabbed the dressing from the floor and without warning, yanked his arm towards her.

Surprise coloured his eyes as she deftly washed his wound. Yet he said nothing and she could feel him watching her closely. As she tied the bandages, she pulled them tight, wanting to inflict some sort of pain - a tit for tat for her humiliation earlier. He hissed.

"Merlin says this will help your wrists heal." Rudely, she tossed the vial at him. "I'm sure you can rub it in yourself."

He said nothing, continuing to stare at her. She took one last look at him, then walked out of the room. The guard at the door greeted her but she walked resolutely on until she closed the door to her own bunk. Then, leaning against the wall, she let out a long breath, shakily touching her still swollen lips.

* * *

Whatever it was in the vial stung and Arthur wondered if he was foolish to trust the Captain. For all he knew, he was rubbing poison into himself. It would feel so much better if she was rubbing the potion into his skin. Instead of planning an escape, he was fantasizing about his captor, remembering the way her lips molded to his, the feel of her hair under his hands and wondering what it would be like to slowly unbutton her shirt and slide his hands under it, to feel the weight of her breasts and the heat of her skin. With a groan, he dragged his mind from her. She must have put a spell on him, enchanting him with her magic so all he could focus on was her.

He stood up and peered out of the tiny window, watching as a few of the crew scrubbed the main deck. For a pirate ship as notorious as the Excalibur, the size of the crew seemed to be very skimpy. But Arthur supposed having magic meant you didn't need so many people. Clearly, sheer physical force wouldn't be the key to his escape. He needed something more subtle, more covert. Or he could wait for his father to save him. All he'd need to do is keep alive.

His thoughts were disrupted when she walked out onto the main deck. She spoke to a few of her crew, laughing at something they said as her hair danced in the sea breeze. Dusk was settling over the ship and it looked like they were getting ready for some sort of gathering. She'd stopped talking and was leaning against the side of the ship. Arthur couldn't see her face but for some reason, he got the sense that she was sad. For a brief moment, he wanted to reach out and hold her.

She really had enchanted him. Swearing at his own foolishness, he tore himself away from the window and flung himself on his bed. Sleep. He needed to rest, then work out an escape plan.

* * *

She kneeled in front of him, her hands at the buttons of her shirt and she bit her lips. Without a single touch and he was already painfully aroused. He moved his arms but the ropes were tied too securely to his wrists. But he couldn't think much about his situation because she'd unbuttoned her top button, revealing to his eyes a hint of the soft curve of her breasts. Arthur ached to touch, ached to push away her hands which were taking far too long to reveal her to him, ached to see if her breasts looked the way he'd pictured them far too many times in his head. As her hands moved to the next button, her head lifted, her brown eyes were dark with desire and those luscious lips of hers parted.

"Breakfast!" There was a clatter, footsteps and the door slammed, making his bed shake, completely pulling Arthur out of his dream. With a groan, Arthur opened his eyes, blinking as the bright morning sun shone down on him. He shifted, trying to ease the discomfort in his groin. This torture Captain Gwen put him through was wearing him down. With little to do in his tiny bunk, all he seemed to be able to think about was her. The glimpses he got of her from the small window only served to fuel his fantasies. Night after night, he writhed on his bed, waking up sweating and aroused. And he never even got very far in his dreams.

Like clockwork, a young woman opened the door to his room to take his breakfast. Usually, he would stare sullenly at her as she went about clearing his breakfast. But he couldn't take being trapped in this room any more.

"Don't you sentence your prisoners to forced labour anymore?"

The look she sent him would chill the heart of any other man. "The captain is treating you really well, seeing what a scumbag you are." Her hands holding his bowl of leftover gruel, she turned sharply towards the door.

"That wasn't criticism," he said but the door slammed in his face and he heard the lock turn. Arthur sighed. Noise started to filter in through the window and Arthur stood to peer through it, hoping to catch a glimpse of the captain, as much as he told himself he shouldn't.

* * *

Gwen watched as Percy led the crew through the checking of the riggings. Merlin was convinced that a storm was brewing and although Merlin was rather hit and miss when it came to predicting the weather (not something she mentioned to Merlin nowadays since he had taken great offense the last time she did), it was best to be prepared. The Excalibur was her one true love and she wasn't going to allow Mother Nature to take her from Gwen.

"Your prisoner is far too comfortable in his bunk," said Elena, standing next to her. "You should throw him in the hold like all the others."

Gwen laughed. "You mean like all those non-existent prisoners we take?"

"We're not going to be able to live on your father's money forever. And Merlin's treasure hunting skill is really limited. When was the last time we found sunken treasure?"

"A month ago? Off that really gorgeous island?" Percy was yelling at the crew now, and Gwen shook her head. Young Mordred, another stowaway, was being difficult again and Gwen wondered if she shouldn't have just thrown him off the ship when she discovered him hiding in her hold.

"The gold will run out," said Elena, and Gwen cast her a look. For weeks, Elena had been after her to plunder some ships.

"We still have enough for some months yet." She smiled at Elena, squeezing her shoulders slightly. "Don't worry. I won't let you starve."

Elena let out a sigh of resignation, shaking her head. "You can't survive as a pirate without being a pirate," she sniffed.

"I think 2 years is a pretty good track record."

With another exaggerated sigh and a roll of her eyes, Elena stomped off to help Percy with the riggings.

"You shouldn't have a Master Gunner if you have no plans to actually plunder other ships."

With a jump, Gwen turned, then glared at Merlin. "Don't sneak up on me like that. And unfortunately, as peace-loving as I am, we still need defenses and Elena is great at manning the guns."

Merlin looked at her and Gwen knew from his eyes what he was going to say. "Yes," she said before he could speak. "I know she's right about the money, but there's still quite a bit left and we did just get information on the sunken Fisher King. When we find it, we'll be good for many months yet."

"If we find it." He gave her another look, before casting his gaze at the horizon. "Well, Elena is going to get her wish for action," said Merlin. "I think the storm is going to be a bad one."

"Weather has been awful recently," sighed Gwen. "I'll let Percy know."

As she stood next to Percy and relayed Merlin's words, Percy grimaced. "For once, I believe Merlin. The signs are not promising."

"We survived that storm a month ago, thanks to your preparations." Gwen placed a hand on Percy's arm.

"Survived the storm and gained a brooding, mouthy teenager," muttered Elena who joined them. "It's going to be a bad one."

Gwen caught Elena's eyes. "Exactly what I was saying to Percy."

"Well, at least we will be prepared." Elena scanned the skies. "The prisoner could be of use."

"Prince Arthur?"

Elena nodded. "He's fit, knows how a ship works and we could definitely use a hand. changing the sails before night fall." When Gwen said nothing, Elena shrugged. "It's your call."

"Be careful up there!" yelled Percy, stepping forward towards the riggers. Elena said something about checking the gun deck, then disappeared as well.

"We'll be fine," said Gwen, as much to reassure Merlin as herself.

* * *

The storm was, as Merlin predicted, a bad one. Forked lightning, brilliant and white-hot, flashed through the blackening sky, before a deluge of rain poured down from the heavens. The Excalibur lurched and rolled in the rising swell, buffeted by waves that crashed against her sides, uncaring of the crew who rushed about, taking down sails and bailing water.

"Percy and Merlin can manage. You should take shelter." Elena's words were accompanied by a rumble of thunder and a large wave rammed the ship, causing it to tilt. Gwen grabbed hold of the side of the ship as Elena stumbled into her. "Merlin! Your defenses!"

"I am doing the best I can!" Merlin yelled back. Gwen could see the strain on his face as he tried to shield the ship from the storm. In the back, Percy was hustling the riggers to hurry. Rain pelted down on her and her clothes clung uncomfortably to her body.

The last rigger slid down the mast.

"Come on. It's going to get dangerous," yelled Elena over the storm. Merlin muttered one more spell, then darted off towards the bunks. Percy hurried the riggers, one of them holding his arm as if he'd injured himself, and Elena disappeared under the deck. Her clothes heavy with water, Gwen took one last look around the main deck.

Water pooled with every step she took down the deck. Her hands gripped the railings as she made her way to her bunk. As much as she enjoyed life on sea, days like this made her question if it was all worth it. She closed her eyes.

Then bumped into something hard. Instinctively, she raised her hands and they came into contact with warm flesh. Her eyes flew open, just as an arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

Gwen knew her mouth was open but she couldn't say anything, not when she was plastered against the prince's wet chest, barely covered by his soaked shirt.

"Damn," he swore and made to let go of her when the ship lurched again. Instead, he grabbed her, pressing her closer - something Gwen was amazed was even possible - as they slammed into a wall. Until the ship steadied, he kept his arm around her and Gwen found clutching his shoulders. "Are you alright?"

He was so close she could see his individual eyelashes and the pores in his skin. Memories of the kiss they shared just a few days ago rose in her mind and she felt the sharp pull of desire.

She kneed him.

With a yelp drowned out by another roll of thunder, he let go of her. "What was that for?"

Gulping, she nodded as she forced herself to take a step back. His blue eyes raked across her body and she was suddenly aware of her soaked clothes that were probably completely transparent. She took another step back, hitting the wall. "Why are you out of your room?"

"I needed to stretch my legs," he said, his eyes locked on hers, his voice casual.

"You were trying to escape!" She withdrew her cutlass and pointed it at his throat. He raised his hands.

"Can you blame me?"

The ship tilted once more, sending them stumbling and above, Gwen could hear water battering the deck. "It's dangerous out here," she said, pressing the tip of the cutlass against him. "Either follow me or I'll get Percy to throw you overboard in this storm."

The prince merely shrugged, then walked obediently in front of her.

Once the door closed behind her, Gwen regretted her instructions for him to follow her. She might have the biggest bunk in the ship but with the shirtless prince inside, her bunk seemed far too small. Trying to put some distance between her and the prince, she stepped aside and rummaged through her drawers, pulled out a towel and tossed it to him. Raising an eyebrow, he caught the towel and started to dry himself.

"Like the view?"

Gwen coloured and pulled her gaze away. She couldn't understand herself. She'd seen Percy and Merlin shirtless countless times so why did she find the prince rubbing the towel across his chest so fascinating?

"I was just thinking that you aren't very smart."

He stopped rubbing his chest. "Not smart?"

At his nonplussed expression, Gwen felt a bit more control. She sniffed. "How did you think you would escape in a storm like this?"

"I admit I wasn't thinking very hard beyond getting out of my bunk." His eyes flicked across her body again. "You should get out of those clothes." Gwen frowned at his words but before she could say anything, he raised his hands. "I'm not trying anything funny. But you are going to catch a cold like this. Plus it can't be comfortable. Look, I'll turn around."

"Why do you care anyway?" Gwen sniped. Her fingers trembled and together with her dripping shirt, she had difficulty unbuttoning her it.

He shrugged, the muscles of his back rippling as he did so. What was she doing, staring at the enemy? Swearing under her breath, Gwen focused her attention back on her shirt. "What are you planning to do with me?"

"Ransom," Gwen muttered. Finally the top button popped free and she moved on to the others.

"You do realise that my father is going to bring the whole royal navy to destroy your ship."

"You do realise that I am Captain Guinevere Thomas and I will destroy your navy before you even touch Excalibur." The buttons were being difficult again. "And your father will deserve everything he gets."

He turned then, his eyes blazing with emotion. "I know who you are. They call you the scourge of the seven seas. You plunder, steal and sink ships without batting an eyelash. And after all your evil deeds, it's about time you're stopped."

Her hands dropped from her shirt and she stepped towards him. "Don't pretend to know me."

"I know you're evil. All pirates are evil." He took a step towards her, his lips curled into a snarl.

"Your father murdered my father in cold blood. Who's the evil one?" Lifting her head, she took another step.

"Your father was a lowlife criminal like you. He deserved to die."

"No one deserves to die! My father was drinking in a tavern, minding his own business, when your father's men killed him!" Her next step brought her so close, her bare breasts brushed against his chest.

She tensed. He groaned.

And then he was kissing her. Or maybe she was kissing him. Gwen didn't know. All she knew was the feel of his heated skin under her hands, the taste of his lips and the light friction of his stubble against her face. Someone moaned and his tongue swiped against her lips until it found entry into her mouth. She leaned into him, as his hands pushed at her shirt. Somehow, all those misbehaving buttons were undone now and her shirt fell onto the ground in a puddle.

When his hand cupped one breast, his lips moved from hers to her throat, Gwen shuddered. She had thought she was aroused before but now, she was filled with a pulsating need she'd never felt before. Her fingers ran through his damp hair.

"What are we doing?" Gwen had to strain to hear the words muttered against her throat.

She might have whimpered in response. She definitely ground her hips against his.

"I want you," he groaned. "Tell me you want me too."

"Yes," gasped Gwen, ignoring the small voice that told her she was about to sleep with the enemy, as his thumb rubbed her nipple. "Yes, I want you."

Even before she finished, he picked her up, her legs immediately wrapping around his waist, and walked towards her bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Half-naked, eyes glazed over with desire, hair loosened from the braid she usually wore, Captain Guinevere Thomas looked nothing like the vicious, blood-thirsty pirate queen he'd heard in all the stories.

Arthur stood, legs apart to balance against the roll of the ship, as looked down at her.

"Arthur." From the bed, she smiled up at him.

Her voice felt like silk caressing his skin. Shucking off his trousers, Arthur crawled onto the bed, positioning himself above her. Balancing himself on one hand, he let his other trail down her cheek, to her shoulder, then skimming the side of breast, her hips, her thighs. Arthur was far from innocent but the desperate lust, the undeniable attraction he felt for this pirate was nothing he'd ever experienced before. Just the feel of her smooth brown skin made him ache, made him want. Part of him wanted to pull down her trousers, spread her legs and take her. The other part of him wanted to ensure that she would never forget this time with him.

"Arthur," she whispered huskily, lifting herself up to press kisses against his jaw as her foot slid up his leg.

"You're getting the bed wet."

She wriggled on the bed, and he let out a breath as her hips came into contact with his. "Then maybe you should get me out of these wet clothes."

"Maybe I should," he replied. His free hand dipped to the ties of her trousers and pulled – not an easy task as she continued to kiss and nibble his jaw. "God," he groaned when he managed to push her trousers down a little. "You are gorgeous."

As he revealed her long, lithe legs, he kissed each little bit he uncovered. Gwen was making whimpering little noises and she squirmed under him. Her hips lifted, as if inviting him to taste. So he did, running his finger across her folds, through the dark hair that covered them. She responded to his every touch and the eroticism of her gasps and pleads made Arthur so hard, he wondered how long more he could hold out. When he leaned over and licked her wetness, she screamed and her fingers dug into his head.

Arthur never felt so powerful before.

"Please."

He licked again as his fingers rubbed her.

"Arthur."

His tongue dipped into her, reveling in her evident arousal and the taste of her.

"Oh, please."

With his teeth, he grazed her as she pulsed and clenched the fingers he had in her.

"Arthur."

His name on her lips, she came, shuddering, her hips jerking off the bed, her hand clutching her bed spreads.

Arthur needed her now and when his eyes met hers, he knew she knew as well.

* * *

Gwen murmured something, then pressed her face into his chest. Without thinking, he tightened his hold on her, his thumb rubbing the smooth skin of her shoulder. Burying his nose in her hair, Arthur dragged in a breath. The storm had abated in the wee hours of the morning and above him, he could hear the crew working on the ship. Next to him, Gwen's soft breaths puffed against his skin.

He should kill her. Or at least attempted an escape again.

Instead, they had spent most of the night exploring each other's bodies and learning what made each of them shudder or scream in pleasure.

Her legs moved, slipping between his, nudging against his growing hardness and she snuggled further into him, her hands curled into fists against his chest.

Arthur pushed her away and scrambled off the bed. His clothes. He needed his trousers. They should be near the bed. His hip bumped into the bed as he bent down to grab his trousers.

Something metal pressed against his back.

"You don't think you're going to escape so easily, do you?"

Slowly, he turned his head, hating that seeing her kneeling on the bed in all her nakedness, pressing her cutlass into his back, made him hard again.

"What makes you think I am going to escape?" He turned back, desperately trying to wipe that image of her from his mind.

"Are you saying you're not?" The metal tip of the cutlass dug into his back. "Because I find it hard to believe."

He laughed bitterly. "Your crew is up and about. You have magic on your boat. How am I supposed to escape?" He felt the press of the cutlass ease. "I just want to return to my bunk." When she said nothing, Arthur turned to look again. She was off the bed, back to him, and pulling on her clothes. He put his trousers on and walked out of her bunk.

* * *

"Gwen?" When Elena touched her shoulder, Gwen jumped. "Hey! I've been calling you for ages. What's wrong with you?"

"Sorry," muttered Gwen. She flexed her fingers against the edge of the ship. Two days and every time she closed her eyes, she could see them writhing on her bed, see his eyes dark and full of desire. "What is it?"

"Merlin thinks that we're getting close."

"To?" She asked absently.

She could feel Elena's impatience. "To the treasure we're in search of? Does the ship Fisher King ring a bell? What is wrong with you these days?"

The answer came immediately. Arthur. That prince was the reason everything was wrong with her, from her distraction to her sleepless nights. Putting on a smile, Gwen said, "I'm just tired."

"Mordred stole rum from the hold again so I locked him there and your prisoner tried to leave his bunk. I tied him up." Elena shrugged. "You probably should deal with them."

"Hey," Gwen placed a hand on Elena's shoulder. "Thanks."

"Yeah. You better work out whatever is bugging you." With a toss of her head, Elena walked over to where Percy stood at the quarterdeck. He smiled widely as Elena approached, draping an arm around her.

Gwen pushed open the door to the hold, lingering as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. In the corner, Mordred was curled against the wall, seemingly fast asleep.

"Mordred?" Gently, she reached down and touched his shoulder.

His eyes opened and his whole body tensed, subtly shifting away from her. "Are you going to throw me overboard?"

As she squatted down, she could see a mix of fear and defiance in his eyes. Inwardly, she sighed. "What makes you think that?"

"That's what Elena said." He yanked at the chains that bound him to the wall, then scowled. "I'll just find another ship."

Gwen sat beside him, pulling out the keys to the lock from her pocket. "Rather hard if you're dead." Deftly, she unlocked his cuffs. "Why did you steal the rum?"

"I felt like it." He rubbed his wrists, eyes trained on the floor.

"If you want to stay on the Excalibur, you need to stop breaking the rules." Gwen said as firmly as she could. Mordred was younger than most of her hands, sulky and sullen and Gwen wasn't sure how to deal with him. Several times, she had been tempted to do as Elena suggested – leave him at port.

"It's just rum," he said.

"It's rum today, smoked meat last week and dereliction of duties the week before. Elena is right, I should throw you overboard."

He shrugged. "What are you waiting for?"

"You wanted to stay on the Excalibur. You pleaded to stay on the Excalibur. So why are you acting like this?"

"Maybe I don't want to stay on the Excalibur anymore." With one foot, he hit the side of the hold.

Gwen stood, wiping her hands on her trousers. "Fine. But until we berth somewhere, you still have duties to do. It's the only way you'll get fed. Once we get to land, you're free to go."

"Whatever."

Anger bubbled in Gwen but she took a deep breath. "Good." Then she walked out of the hold, slamming the door behind her. Now to deal with the prince who'd been haunting her nights. She'd been avoiding him since that night.

By the time she reached Arthur's bunk, Gwen was in a right mood. The fact that seeing him sitting on the floor, his arms tied behind him, reminded her of that night and made lust snake through her body, made her even more annoyed. Drawing her cutlass, she pointed it at Arthur's throat.

"This is getting too familiar," he said with a smirk.

"You are my captive," she snapped. "Just because - just because that night happened - doesn't mean you get free reign of the ship."

"Look, I'm the captive, so I'm trying to escape. You're the captor so you should be trying to keep me here. We're just doing as our roles require."

"Do you think this is all a game? Try to escape once more and I will run you through." She stepped closer to him so she was staring down at him. Despite being tied up, hair ruffled and looking like he slept as little as her over the past two nights, when their eyes met, that dull desire that had been building since she stepped into the bunk spiked.

"Kill me and my father will not hesitate to completely destroy you."

"If your father had the capability to destroy me, he would have done so before."

Arthur glared up at her. "Untie me."

"You are not in a position to make demands." She scowled, her anger directed more at herself when she found herself noticing the way his arm muscles flexed as he tried to loosen the ropes.

"Look, it'll be weeks before my father even realises I'm gone. And then more weeks before he comes hunting you down. I can't spend them all holed up in here."

"Arthur Pendragon, in case you've forgotten in the last few seconds, you are my prisoner and yes, you can spend the next several weeks holed up here if I say so." The most ridiculous thought entered her mind. "Unless, like Elena suggested, we put you to work."

As if he could read her thoughts, his eyes immediately darkened and Gwen could see the desire in them. It mollified her a little to know she wasn't the only one feeling this pull between them. "What kind of work," he asked, the sharp accusatory tone he was using earlier gone.

"I can't stop thinking of you, of that night," Gwen said as she knelt down in front of him, placing her cutlass on the ground next to her. Her honesty made his eyes widen.

"Are you suggesting a trade? Sex for freedom?" Surprise coloured his eyes.

"Limited freedom. I'm not setting you free." She could feel a blush rise in her but years of managing her emotions meant she barely flinched at his words. "It's just a suggestion, one you need not agree to. But it's sex and physical work on the ship for limited freedom." She hesitated. "Or just physical work for limited freedom."

His voice dipped. "You seem to have wormed your way into my blood as well. Perhaps," he leaned as far towards her as his binds would allow, "we will rid ourselves of this pesky desire by the time my father attacks your ship."

She leaned towards him. "It's a deal."

"I think we should seal it with a kiss," he said and it didn't take much more than that to make Gwen lean further in and press her lips against his.

Her hand cupped his face as she deepened the kiss.

"Untie me."

A smile spread across her face. "I don't think so." She kissed his jaw, then nibbled his ear, enjoying the harsh breaths that tore out of Arthur. "I quite like having you at my mercy."

He twisted his head so their lips met again in a heated, open kiss. Wrenching his lips from her, Arthur whispered, "I'm all yours, Captain Guinevere."

* * *

Merlin, Elena and Percy stood in front of him, arms crossed, nothing but doubt and suspicion on their faces.

"He's a prince. What do you think he can do aside from order people around?" asked Merlin.

"He's got working limbs. I'm sure he can do something," said Elena, her eyes scanning him. Percy lifted his eyebrows but said nothing.

Gwen shoved him forward. His arms were still tied behind his back. "I don't care what he does but he's fit and available so we might as well put him to use. Elena, draw up a schedule of duties."

The smile that grew on Elena's face did not fill Arthur with hope. "I have just the job for him."

"Good. Percy and Merlin, let's run though what's going to happen when we reach the Fisher King." With those words, Gwen, the woman who, just an hour ago was straddled on his lap, moaning huskily into his throat, walked off. Merlin cast a disapproving look at him.

"Right. You know your way around a ship?"

Arthur shrugged. He probably wasn't as familiar with it as Elena or Percy but he'd captained many of his father's ship.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." Elena walked fast. "Plus you probably consider yourself a leader."

He grunted, not sure where Elena was going with this. Then, became wary when he noticed they were walking towards the hold. Elena pushed open the door.

"Mordred? Mordred!"

There was shuffling, then a young boy, barely in his teens with scruffy black hair and a sulk on his face, came out of the darkness.

Elena's grin was far too smug. From her pocket, she whipped out a knife and cut his ties. "This is Mordred." Reaching out, she ruffled his hair, only for the young boy to scowl and duck. "And you'll be his babysitter. He has a list of duties and he has a habit of not doing them, which is very bad, isn't it Mordred, for someone who wants to be part of the crew."

"I don't want to be part of the crew." Arthur thought he was just a pout away from stamping his foot. Of all the things he'd thought he'd be asked to do, babysitting a sullen teenager hadn't been on the list.

"Too bad. You're part of the crew until we dock somewhere. For some reason, Gwen won't let me dump you overboard." Elena gave Mordred a push towards Arthur, grinned at them, mouthed the word 'enjoy', then sauntered out of the hold.

Arthur stretched out his hand. "I'm Arthur."

"Yeah." Mordred looked everywhere except him.

"So what are you supposed to be doing next?"

Mordred finally looked at him. "Scrubbing the decks."

* * *

Three hours later, Arthur's limbs ached. His head ached as well.

"Dinner." Elena shoved a bowl of gruel under his nose. She turned to Mordred. "You want some or are you still on your hunger strike?"

Mordred shrugged.

"Give him some," said Arthur. "He worked hard today."

They sat together with the other crew. Elena, Merlin and Gwen sat at one corner of the deck, deep in conversation while Percy sat at another corner. As he popped a spoonful of gruel into his mouth, Arthur found his eyes drawn to Gwen. She smiled as she chatted to Elena and Merlin and occasionally, her laughter would float towards him and his body, as tired as it was, would react.

"You like her."

Mordred's words got his attention. "What?"

"The captain. You keep staring at her."

"I'm just thinking." Arthur looked down at the boy. "How did you end up on the Excalibur?"

"Ran away." Mordred poked at the food, then looked back at Arthur. "You? Elena says you're a prisoner."

"I'm Prince Arthur of Camelot. Got kidnapped by the captain."

Something like awe filled Mordred's eyes before he blinked and it disappeared, replaced by the bored, sullen look Arthur was familiar with. "You're a prince huh?"

"Yes, not that anyone here cares."

"So," Mordred said, "that means you lead the Camelot navy."

Arthur's first instinct was to agree. But something in Mordred's eyes made him tell the truth. He lowered his voice. "Not really. I was, but well, I got stripped of it."

"Why?" asked Mordred in the same hushed tones. "Your father took away your position?"

"I didn't follow instructions." Arthur ate another spoonful of gruel. "You should eat up. Aren't you also on clean-up duty?"

Rolling his eyes, Mordred stuffed some food in his mouth. "I am always on clean-up duty. All the lowly jobs that no one wants to do."

"Somebody has to do them. Plus I am prince and I scrubbed the decks with you today." Not he enjoyed any bit of the physical labour he had to do. Still, being out and about, with the endless blue sky above him, was far better than being stuck in that tiny bunk. And he also had tonight to look forward to.

"You're looking at her again."

Arthur shook his head, hoping that the sinking sun hid the heat in his cheeks. "I'm just looking at the sea."

Mordred gave a scoff of disbelief. "I hate them all."

"Because you're on clean-up duty?" But it was clear Mordred had sunk back into his petulant mood and aside from a few grunts, Mordred withdrew from any communication with Arthur. Around them, the rest of the crew laughed and chatted as they finished dinner. A few cast suspicious glances at him but Arthur simply ignored them. He had great practice at ignoring disapproving looks.

"Come on." He nudged Mordred at the end of dinner. "We'll clean up together."

"You're a prince. You shouldn't let them treat you like this." Mordred got to his feet.

"You forget, I'm also a prisoner who would really rather remain alive. Now come on."

* * *

"I don't know what you're playing at but if you hurt Gwen in any way, you won't get off this ship alive."

Tearing his gaze from the sky, Arthur saw Merlin approaching him. "Going to kill me with your magic?"

"Not now. But I can, quite easily."

"This is how she maintains her reputation isn't it? Your magic."

Merlin stopped next to him. "It helps. But Gwen is a capable captain."

"You mean bloodthirsty and cruel. I've heard all the stories. She learnt well from her father. And with magic now."

"She isn't –" Then Merlin paused, sucking in a breath before continuing. "Yes, she is. Don't mess with her."

"I wouldn't have to. Once my father discovers I've been taken, he'll destroy all of you. He's been itching to for years and now you've given him a reason. He'll be especially pleased to capture you, knowing how he feels about the dark art."

Merlin tensed. "Your father has no understanding of magic."

"You use it in aid of a pirate. I think he has a very good understanding of the corrupting nature of magic," said Arthur.

So quietly Arthur wasn't sure he heard correctly, Merlin said, "Magic is not evil."

He didn't think Merlin wanted to listen to his father's tirade against magic so Arthur said nothing. He gripped the sides of the ship and stared into the dark depths. "I hear you're hunting for the Fisher King's treasure."

"Is that a crime as well?" Merlin asked coldly.

Arthur shook his head. "Many people have sought it. None has been successful."

"It's strange isn't it? Since everybody knows where it went down." Merlin replied, the hostility in his voice gone.

"So why look for it? It's in treacherous waters. Surely it'll be easier for you to plunder a ship if you're running low on supplies. In fact," Arthur said slowly, "if you are running low on supplies, why didn't you plunder my ship?"

"Guess she thought it wasn't worth plundering." Merlin ran a hand through his hair, then turned away.

Narrowing his eyes, Arthur moved over to where Merlin had to look at him. "I was captaining a royal ship. There's no better ship to plunder."

"Well, it was nice talking to you. It's about time for me to – uh – eat my supper."

Slightly confused at the sudden change of topic, Arthur stared at Merlin. "You just finished dinner."

"I know I look skinny and all but I need a constant supply of food." Merlin walked away. "And remember, Gwen might think it's fine for you to wander the ship, but do anything funny and I'll kill you." And then he was disappearing below the decks.

Maybe magic made people weird as well. Arthur turned his attention back to the sea. It lapped gently against the sides of the ship, so unlike the violent pounding it subjected the ship to the night before. Just like Gwen. One moment, she was the responsive, sexy siren in his arms and the next, she was the infamous Captain Guinevere.

"Merlin said I would find you here. Enjoying your freedom?" As if conjured up by his thoughts, Gwen appeared on the deck, still dressed in her usual white shirt and dark trousers. Her hair, though, was not in its usual braid. The ocean breeze lifted her hair, whipping it around her face and Arthur watched as her slender fingers fought with the wind for control over her hair.

"The fresh air is good," he replied, walking towards her. He gestured around the deck. "The constant guard, not so much."

Her smile was slight. "Don't forget you're still my captive."

"As if I would ever forget that. Now, what orders do you have for me?" As exhausted as Arthur was physically, he found himself hoping that she wasn't about to order him to his bunk.

"Come with me." Without even waiting to see if he followed, Gwen turned on her heel and walked off, her hips swaying temptingly as her hands continued to push hair off her face.

* * *

In most of his relationships, Arthur had always been in control but now, as Gwen pinned his arms to the side as her very naked body slid up against his own naked body, he never felt happier to relinquish that control.

"Are you going to kiss me yet? Or are you planning to rub yourself against me the whole night?"

"That's the problem with princes," murmured Gwen, her hair falling over his face, tickling him, "all of you want everything now."

"And you've been with many princes?" Lifting his head, he tried to capture her lips but she ducked, then grinned at him.

"Many," she said, her head dipping to his shoulder, her tongue and teeth teasing him. In response, he lifted his hips, smiling when she sucked in a breath.

"Look, Captain, I have a full day of physical labour tomorrow so I need my sleep."

Gwen stopped nibbling at his shoulders and looked at him. Then she laughed. Ignoring the warmth that curled in his stomach at her laugh, Arthur took advantage of her distraction to flip them around, so he straddled her. Without a word, he took one breast in his mouth, suckling her the way he knew she liked and on cue, she moaned, her fingers dug into his hair as she writhed under him.

One of her hands snaked down to cup his butt, urging him to move against her as her lips found his ear, seemingly simultaneously whispering his name urgently and nibbling at his ear lobe. His hands skimmed the side of her body until her reached her hips.

"Now," she said, pressing her warmth up into him. "Now."

Positioning himself, he slid into her slowly. And like she did every time he entered her, she sighed his name and his heart did a little jump.

Gwen, he learnt very quickly over the past few nights, was a cuddler. After sex, she was all soft, affectionate and sleepy. So it was no surprise that she curled into him in the aftermath of their exertions. Arthur didn't like it. This whole cuddling thing after sex was far too intimate for him.

"How's Mordred," she asked as she buried her face in his neck. Immediately, he slipped his arm around her and tucked her closer.

"Despite Mordred's best efforts, I like him. Elena thinks the whole thing is hilarious." He felt her lips curve into a smile against his bare skin. "Where did you pick up Mordred from anyway?"

Gwen yawned, then pressed her lips against him. "There was a storm and the ship he was on was having trouble. Percy noticed them so we headed towards them –"

"To prey on their misfortune."

His interruption made Gwen stiffen. Then she pulled herself out of his embrace and out of bed. "Yes and somehow, Mordred snuck on board our ship. You've done your duty tonight."

With a huff, Arthur shrugged his shirt on, then his trousers. "Good night, captain."

She said nothing.

* * *

AN: I hope you're enjoying it as much as I enjoy writing it. :) Thank you for the comments. I love reading them.


	4. Chapter 4

From her vantage point on the poop deck, Gwen watched as her crew went about their duties as the morning sun rose over them. Merlin and Percy were deep in discussion over how best to reach the Fisher King while Elena bossed the crew around. It no longer surprised Gwen that her eyes immediately drifted to where Arthur and Mordred were. He smiled at Mordred and Gwen felt her heart warm. Annoyed, she turned away. He thought she was an immoral, violent pirate and she knew he was the son of the man who cruelly murdered her father. And yet, every night she invited him to her bed, and every night for a few hours, they existed in a world that only had them. It was dangerous. She almost wanted the Pendragon navy to find them quickly and take back their prince.

"I admit, he is good looking." Merlin leaned against the railing, arms crossed and looked at her. "But of all the men, the prince of Camelot, whose father is about to launch an attack on us?"

"Have we got a plan?" Arthur and Mordred were arguing about something and Gwen tore her eyes from them.

Merlin shook his head. "I can probably get the Excalibur through the waters. Percy is an excellent navigator and with some magic, we should be alright, but after that? You know the stories they tell."

"Did you speak to Kilgarrah?"

"Yeah, but he's as vague as ever. He said something about love, courage and magic and needing all three to come together."

"I get the courage and magic but love?" Gwen sighed. "We still need to try. Supplies are running low."

"No one has succeeded before."

Gwen raised a hand. "Don't tell me to plunder a ship."

"I'm not Elena. Speaking of, she's on her way over, probably to tell you to plunder a ship. I'm going to check the charts again." Merlin patted her on the shoulder as he walked away.

A slight twinge of jealousy tugged at Gwen as Elena, on tip toe, gave Percy a kiss. The moment of tenderness on her face faded as her eyes met Gwen. Shaking her head, Gwen sighed. "No, I am not plundering a ship."

"You should have plundered the royal ship. Although, I suppose you did take the most valuable thing from the ship." There was smirk on Elena's face. "Even if we starve, you'll be satisfied in the bedroom."

Quickly, Gwen grabbed Elena's hand, dragging her to somewhere further from where the crew were working. "Elena."

"I'm all for you getting your desires sated –"

"Elena!" Gwen shouted-whispered at her grinning friend.

Elena lowered her voice. "I assume since he's been in your bed every night the last three nights, he must at least be decent."

Gwen opened her mouth, then realized she had no idea how to respond to Elena, so she closed it again.

"So," Elena bumped Gwen's hip, "Lancelot or Arthur? Who is better in bed?"

Her laughter was a mix of embarrassment and amusement. "Elena!"

"Pity I don't share my partners, because Percy?" With a cheeky grin, Elena hummed in satisfaction. Raising her hand, she waved at an unsuspecting Percy who waved back. "I would have never have expected this from you, not that I disapprove." Then the twinkle in Elena's eyes faded. "Don't get emotionally involved."

Gwen scoffed. "I won't. I've learnt my lesson since Lancelot."

"You love too much, Gwen. You care too much." Elena slung an arm around her shoulders. "You care so much you can't even be a proper pirate."

"I'm sorry." With a sigh, Gwen slid down and settled on the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I know I haven't been great at this whole pirate thing."

"Someone once said, a two year track record isn't bad." Elena sat down next to Gwen.

Gwen reached over and squeezed Elena's hand. "You're a great friend, you know. You and Merlin. For sticking with me. I'm sure any decent pirate ship would love to have you."

"Captain! We're approaching!"

* * *

It was like night and day. One moment they had been sailing through calm seas, then suddenly the seas turned choppy, the wind roared against the sails which Percy was desperately directing the crew to take down and the sky turned an ominous grey.

Even Mordred couldn't hide his fear behind his usual sullenness.

"What is happening?" Mordred stopped scrubbing and stared at the sky. Next to him, Arthur stilled as well.

"It must be the Fisher King." Arthur had heard all the stories of the cursed ship. In the beginning, his own father had sent his own ships – some he'd even captained himself - to get to the treasure. None had returned successful. "You wait here."

"Why?" asked Mordred mutinously. "I want to -"

Grabbing his shoulders, Arthur forced Mordred to look at him. "Firstly, you haven't finished your work. Secondly, let me find out what is happening first. Remember what I said about proving your worth?"

Mordred rolled his eyes but repeated obediently. "I need to prove I deserve to be trusted."

"And?"

"And being an ass isn't going to achieve anything."

Arthur grinned. "Remember that." He slapped Mordred's back. "And as you contemplate my wise words, scrub that spot." Jumping up, he strode onto the main deck, the pouring rain striking him and soaking his shirt. The rain blurred his vision but he could see Percy giving directions to the riggers while Elena checked on the guns. Merlin and Gwen stood on the quarterdeck, both with identical worried expressions.

"Hey!" He waved at them. "What's going on?"

Merlin was the first to respond. "What are you doing here? You're –"

"You're really going to try and get the Fisher King's treasure, aren't you? It's a pointless trip!"

"If we wanted your opinion, captive, we would ask you," snapped Elena from behind.

Thunder roared overhead and the rain came down even harder. Arthur put an arm up over his head, useless he knew as protection against the rain, and moved closer to Gwen and Merlin.

"I think wanting to know if I'm going to die in a pointless quest is perfectly reasonable."

Elena harrumphed. "See what you've done, Gwen, giving him this much freedom. We should –"

"Elena!" Gwen took a step towards him. "Yes. We're approaching the Fisher King. If you're afraid, then you can go hide in your bunk."

He dragged a hand through his wet hair. "I could do that. Or I could tell you how I navigated through this area the last time I was here."

The shock that appeared on Gwen's face pleased him for reasons he refused to delve into.

"You've been here?"

Arthur nodded. "My father sent several ships to look for the treasure."

"I'm not sure how useful he's going to be, seeing he clearly didn't succeed before," muttered Merlin. "Look, Percy is ready at the wheel. I'm going to help him."

Gwen's eyes met his. The ship tilted suddenly, sending Arthur slamming into the side of the ship. He heard Gwen gasp, just as Merlin caught her. Percy yelled for everyone to hold on. Looking at Gwen, Arthur addressed Merlin. "I may not have gotten to the treasure but I did manage to get past this blasted storm."

"There's no way the Excalibur can navigate through such waters. Not without considerable risk. Even with Merlin's help." Percy yelled.

"There's a place we can anchor the ship, then make the rest of the way across in a boat," said Arthur, raising his voice over the roaring storm. The rain stung as it fell on him.

Percy's gaze flickered from Gwen's to Arthur's. Gwen nodded.

"Alright, come up here and tell me more." Steadying himself, Arthur slowly made his way to where Percy was, very aware of Gwen's eyes on him. Merlin followed behind.

"So what do you suggest?" Percy's hands gripped the wheel, holding it firm despite the battering wind that only seemed to get stronger. "Elena! Get the crew off the deck! Captain -"

"No!" Gwen yelled, one hand on the bulwark and the other shielding her face. "I'm not going anywhere."

The ship lurched again as a sudden wave smashed into them, and Gwen stumbled, despite the hold she had on the bulwark, her legs buckling under her as she fell. Arthur's heart jumped and he was just about to rush over to her when Merlin, halfway up the quarterdeck, turned around to get to her. His lithe body easily worked in tandem with the rolling ship, allowing him to reach Gwen quickly.

Arthur looked away, back at the stretch of dark, rough ocean.

"Reaching the rocks over there is the easy bit – relatively," said Arthur to Percy. "I assume Merlin's tricks will be of assistance?"

Percy nodded, his lips drawn into a tight line as he stared out into the dark.

"If we can maneuver the ship to beyond that cove, we can anchor it there and use the boats to get to where the Fisher King supposedly sank."

"What's the catch?" Percy shifted slightly as Merlin and Gwen joined them on the quarterdeck. The rain still poured down on them, soaking them all. Gwen's shirt clung to her, made transparent by the rain, distracting Arthur.

Percy cleared his throat. "Uh," said Arthur, trying to remember Percy's question. "Everyone knows where the Fisher King sank, and you can see parts of it from the distance, but no matter how much you paddle towards it, you never reach it. Then there are the sea creatures."

"Magic," said Merlin. "That's the only explanation."

Percy nodded again. "What do you want to do, Gwen?"

Looking at her, Arthur noticed the uncertainty in her troubled eyes. "A sensible captain would turn back," he said.

"Don't listen to him, Gwen." Merlin moved closer to her, as if trying to protect her from Arthur. Annoyance immediately rose in Arthur.

"We'll take it step by step. To the cove, then we'll assess our options." Her fingers played with her wet braid and Arthur noticed that she looked at everyone but him.

Percy nodded, then looked at Arthur. "You will help guide us?"

"I want to live, don't I?"

* * *

It wasn't easy but between Percy, Arthur and Merlin, they managed to steer the ship into the cove through the storm before noon arrived. Merlin was right about the magic. The moment they entered the cove, the weather took a sudden turn for the better.

For now, the ship was anchored and Gwen had ordered the crew to rest. Later, they would attempt to row towards the Fisher King. Arthur was right. From where she stood on the deck, she could see parts of the sunken ship. It looked like an easy journey to get from where they were anchored to the Fisher King, but Gwen was also well aware that looks could be deceiving. Her fingers flexed against the bulwark and she closed her eyes, relishing the spray of the ocean on her face. She loved the ocean but as Elena pointed out time and time again, they couldn't live on past treasures alone. And if they failed to reach the Fisher King and unearth its treasure, she might have to give up Excalibur for good. That thought alone made her heart hurt.

"It may look easy but I can tell you it's not." Arthur suddenly appeared beside her. Opening her eyes, she allowed herself a moment to soak him in. Only his damp hair suggested he'd been caught in a storm.

"What happened the times you tried?"

"The first time, we never even got this far." Arthur leaned against the ship and stared out. "It was my first outing as captain and I was keen to prove myself. So I made them sail through the storm despite advice from more experienced crew."

"And?"

"And? And four of them died." Pushing his hair off his face, Arthur grimaced. "Four people who would have lived if not for me." He sighed, slumped a little and looked up into the sky. "I had to tell their families."

Tentatively, Gwen reached out a hand and touched his shoulder, wanting to provide relief. "Sailing is always dangerous."

His hand covered hers, his thumb rubbing against the side of her hand. A wry smile graced his face as he turned to her. "I could have made it less dangerous. There was no need to find the treasure. We didn't need the riches." He cleared his throat. "The next time, I worked out this plan – that if we managed to anchor at this cove, we could row to the Fisher King. We got this far. Then it – well, it didn't go as badly as the first time – but it wasn't good."

"How bad?"

"There's magic. You can feel it in the air. And it protects the Fisher King. No matter how much you row, you never get any closer to it. And there's the sea creatures – ugly, monstrous creatures, always lurking, ready to attack if you let your guard down. Eventually, you either give up or you die of exhaustion. I wasn't about to allow more crew to die on me." He shrugged, pulling his hand and hers from this shoulder, so they stood side by side, hand in hand. "Maybe Merlin with his magic will get you closer than I ever did. I admit, I am curious to see the Fisher King."

She should pull her hand away. Standing alone on the deck with him in this manner was far too intimate. She didn't. "Thank you."

"Most captors don't thank their captives," Arthur said, pulling lightly so she moved closer to him. With his other hand, he cupped her face, tilting it up slightly. "Tell me, Captain Guinevere. Why are you so determined to get the Fisher King's treasure, despite how dangerous it is for your crew?"

His eyes bore into her and for a foolish moment, Gwen thought that he could see into her heart and see her fears and worries. "Can you imagine my reputation if I do successfully get to the Fisher King's treasure?"

"Always the cold-blooded pirate queen," he murmured as his thumb rubbed against her cheek. "And yet, sometimes, it feels like it's a mask you wear."

Immediately, she protested. "I don't know –"

But her words were cut off when his lips landed on hers, coaxing her to open up to him. He let go of her hand so he could wrap his arm around her and pull her flush against him. She fisted his shirt. Her eyes closed as she gave herself up to the feel of him.

"Come on," he rasped into her ear. "We have some free time."

Gwen nodded, heat burning through her veins, took his hand again and led him down to her bunk. But even before they reached her door, Arthur had her shirt buttons undone. Outside, he pressed her up against the wall next to her door, suckling on her neck as he deftly unbuttoned her shirt fully.

"Do you know how much I wanted you when you stood there, soaking wet in the storm, your shirt completely see through?"

She shook her head, her mind not quite making sense of his words. His hands were on her trousers, unfastening them and she dug hers through his hair as he searched for her lips.

"I can't get enough of you," Gwen groaned, her hips moving, trying to ease the ache that throbbed between her legs.

He nipped at her lips. "Neither can I." He crushed his lips to hers.

Voices floated towards them and Gwen remembered they were still in public. Dropping her hands from him, she felt for her door, then pushed strongly, sending her and Arthur tumbling into her bunk. She stumbled and felt Arthur's arm go round her, pulling her close.

"You alright?" He looked at her, the lust in his eyes dampened by concern. "Hmm?"

Something shifted in her at that look. Swallowing, she nodded, then kissed him, hoping to rid herself of that strange feeling in her stomach. Desire easily took over and she lost herself in the feel of his hands running over her heated skin.

He moved so that she was again pressed against a wall. By now, she'd somehow lost her trousers as well and was completely naked. The wooden wall was rough against her back but she didn't care. What she cared about was that Arthur be as naked as her, then give her the release she so desperately needed.

With trembling fingers, she undid his breeches. He shrugged off his shirt, then pinned her even more firmly to the wall with his chest.

"Arthur," she whispered, as she took his earlobe between her teeth. Spreading her legs, she wriggled against him, shuddering with every little movement.

"Gwen," he said and he thrust into her.

* * *

She could barely keep her eyes open but the sun was setting soon and she could hear her crew up and about, preparing for dinner. Arthur's steady breath blew against her nape, his chest against her back, one arm draped across her hip. She nudged him gently, heard him mumble something before he released his hold on her and stretched.

"Did I fall asleep?" His hair was all tousled and he looked sleepily at her.

"I have to get up," Gwen said but made no move to get up. Instead, she ran her hand across his chest, eliciting a smile from Arthur. He caught her hand, threading his fingers through hers.

"This doesn't seem like you getting up." And before she could answer, he kissed her lightly, just a brief brush of his lips across hers. Then his smile faded and his voice cooled. "You have an important quest to plan for. There's a lot of treasure at stake."

The reminder of the Fisher King washed away the feeling of warm contentment that had taken up residence in her earlier. It made her finally leave the bed and pull on some clothes.

Arthur still lounged on the bed. Gwen could feel his eyes on her and it both aroused her and made her nervous. "I still don't get your determination to continue on this pointless quest. If I were a cold-blooded pirate and I needed money, I'd just go plunder a ship. There are so many of them around, and so many without even the least competent crew."

"You don't need to understand it," said Gwen coolly as she fastened her trousers. "You said you'd help and that's all you need to do."

"You're Captain Guinevere, scourge of the seven seas. Why the need to prove yourself?"

Gwen turned back sharply and glared at Arthur. "We may spend a lot of time having sex, but that doesn't mean you know me."

He stretched, his muscles moving in ways that made Gwen want to straddle him again. "That's the problem. You confuse me."

"I don't know what you mean," she said, turning her back on him.

"If your reputation is to be believed –"

She whirled back again, this time with her cutlass drawn. "If? My reputation is not a lie." Even as she said the words with all the confidence she could muster, Gwen wondered if Arthur could hear her heart beating.

He jumped out of the bed, pushing her cutlass away. "I'm tired of you pointing that at me. I've given you no reason to distrust me this week."

"I wouldn't trust you as far as I can throw you."

"You are supposed to be the most feared pirate in Albion. Blood-thirsty, merciless, cold. But you're also the pirate who took in a young boy who is the biggest pain I've ever encountered, the pirate who, instead of slaughtering all my men and stealing from my ship, put the fire out then let them return home." He reached up and touched her chin. "Who are you, Guinevere?"

She swallowed but found herself unable to tear her gaze from his or move from his light touch. "I am who I am."

"I don't even know why I care," said Arthur, shaking his head, then he leaned down and kissed her angrily. She dropped her cutlass and fisted her hands in his hair as the kiss gentled.

It was her who pulled back, breaking the kiss. And it was her who took the step back, and fled the room as calmly as she could, trying to steady her spiraling emotions and thumping heart.


	5. Chapter 5

"I found your shirt," said Elena as they sat slightly apart from the rest of crew during dinner. "This sex with your captive thing is getting kinkier, isn't it?"

Gwen flushed but continued to eat. Ignoring Elena was the best way to get her to shut up.

"We don't have to do this, you know." Elena continues, as if she had been talking about the Fisher King all the time. "Arthur is right. It's a suicide mission. I looked at our supplies – we have a few months left at least."

"And if we don't find another sunken ship with treasure in that time?"

Elena placed a hand on Gwen's shoulder. "We'll figure something out." Then she laughed. "Or we could plunder a ship. There's plenty to choose from."

"Elena!"

"I miss it, you know. The adrenaline of the chase, the power when they surrender to you and the anticipation of what you can find in their hold." Elena sighed. "I know it's bad and innocent people get hurt. I know you've never liked it."

Gwen looked at Elena. "What are you saying, Elena?"

"Yesterday, the storm, the planning and the anticipation of tomorrow – I feel alive again. I love you, Gwen but I don't know if I can be happy simply sailing the seas." Elena took Gwen's hands. "I am a bad person, aren't I?"

"You want to leave?" Gwen asked, a chill enveloped her. "What about Percy?"

"He's as soft inside as you," said Elena with a wry smile. "I don't know. I've been feeling restless the past few months."

"Yeah, I know. I tried to ignore it." Gwen squeezed Elena's fingers, blinking back tears which stung her. "You don't have to stay on the Excalibur for me."

Elena laughed again. "Hey, don't get all gloomy on me. I haven't said I was leaving for sure. You should think about whether you want to stay on the Excalibur as well."

"Why would I leave the Excalibur?"

"Because," said Elena softly, "you haven't been that happy either, pretending to be someone you're not."

"I love Excalibur. I love the sea." Gwen shook her head. "And Excalibur is all I have of my father."

Elena smiled slightly at Gwen and said nothing.

* * *

"I want to go on the cockboat as well," said Mordred.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You're inexperienced and frankly, haven't been very good at obeying instructions. It's going to be a dangerous quest tomorrow and no one needs you screwing it up."

"I worked well today – listened to everything that annoying git –"

"Mordred!"

"I listened to everything Lockwood said. I was polite and all."

"Look, the captain hasn't made up her mind about what is going to happen tomorrow. If there's a place for you, I'll see what I can do." Arthur narrowed his eyes. "And if you let me down, I'll personally kill you."

Mordred shrugged. "I don't see why you care if I screw up. You should hate these people, not help them."

With a huff, Arthur shoved Mordred, then stood up. "Mind your own business." As he tossed his bowl at Mordred, Arthur walked away, Mordred's question pounding in his head. He didn't want to die, he told himself and if helping them was the price to pay, then so be it. It had nothing to do with the way he felt whenever Gwen smiled.

From the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Merlin walking towards him. He stopped, letting Merlin catch up.

"What do you suggest for tomorrow?" Merlin was the first to speak. He sounded almost friendly. "I've been studying the magic surrounding us and it's protective magic, not really aggressive magic. Someone wants to keep people out. I wonder what's so precious that they cast a spell like this before sinking."

"What we see of the Fisher King is an illusion, isn't it? That's why it keeps moving."

Merlin nodded. "Good point."

"There's a point in which we found that we can't pass, like a veil, and the only solution seems to go around. That's when the trouble starts. It's easy to get lost."

"And the sea creatures?" asked Merlin. "What are they like?"

Arthur shuddered. "They are half human, half fish. And their calls make your blood run cold and they try to pull you into the sea."

Merlin pursed his lips. "Mer-people. Again, they're protecting something. If only we knew what."

"Seems too much trouble for just gold," said Arthur. "Oh, the mer-people don't like fire. Do you have something to counter that protective magic?"

"Don't know till I try." They had almost reached the quarterdeck where Gwen, Elena and Percy were looking at some maps.

Gwen was the first to look up and their eyes met. A slight smile crossed her face and Arthur found himself smiling back.

"Where's the impassable point, Arthur?" Merlin shoved the maps towards him.

"Around here, after these rocks. And here," Arthur jabbed at the map. "Here's where the – what do you call them Merlin?"

"Mer-people."

"Here's where they tend to attack."

"Arthur says they are afraid of fire." Merlin pointed out.

Elena grinned. "I'm on that."

"If this point is impassable and if the mer-people are here," Gwen leaned over the map. "Then, if Merlin is right and something is being protected, it must be here."

Arthur looked at where her finger lay, and nodded. "It seems logical."

"So that's where we have to get to." Percy pulled the map towards him, to study it. "Who's coming?"

* * *

"Is that another illusion? Mordred rowing the boat?"

"He's not a bad kid, Elena." Arthur pushed his own oar into the swirling water. "Give him a chance."

Elena scoffed, then made her way to where Percy and the others were. He let his eyes linger a little on Gwen's back, the curve of her hips, the long line of her neck and the few strands of hair that escaped her usual braid and fluttered against her face. Evil or not, there was no denying that he was incredibly attracted to her. He hated how drawn to her he was. Why couldn't she be one of the ladies of his court?

"I hate rowing," grumbled Mordred.

"You wanted on the boat," said Arthur. "So shut up and continue rowing."

"Can I ask you something?"

Arthur sighed, pushing his oar into the water. "What is it?"

"You're always going on about me listening to instructions. Is it because your dad punished you for not following instructions?"

His father's long lecture flashed into his mind. The memory of his father telling the court that he was no longer head of the Camelot Navy still hurt. "My father wanted me to get rid of the druids anchored at our borders."

"And?"

"And I didn't."

Mordred turned his head back. "You defied your father."

"Yeah. But it wasn't something I did because I was feeling sulky or because I wanted to punish him."

"Alright, I get the point," said Mordred. Then after a while, he asked, "So why did you?"

"Sometimes, people want you do things that are wrong."

Mordred twisted to look at Arthur again. "Your father is the King!"

"And he's human too. Do you hear that?"

"The whistling?"

Cold fear wrapped its hand around his heart as memories of his last attempt flooded him. Arthur dropped his oar and stood up, easing his way to the front. "Captain. Merlin. They're here."

When Gwen's eyes opened, Arthur had to push down the need to reassure her it would be fine.

"I've got the torches ready and the cotton plugs," said Elena. "Are you ready Merlin?"

"Kilgarrah will be here. I think he already is," said Merlin, lifting his eyes to the skies. "He's not a fan of killing magical creatures."

"We're not going to kill them," gasped Gwen. "Just stop them from killing us."

Arthur stared at her, her genuine distress that the mer-people might die confused him. But before he could contemplate Gwen longer, the whistling got louder. "Put the cotton plugs in your ears. We need to get ready. Hand out the torches."

Elena was already giving out the torches and ear plugs, and yelling instructions to the rowing crew. Grabbing a torch from her, Arthur went back to his place on the crew. Mordred stared at him.

"What's happening? What's with the torches?" Mordred asked as Arthur settled down behind him.

"Just row and no matter what happens, don't touch the water. If anything appears, light your torch. And put the ear plugs on."

Arthur shoved the cotton into his ears, grabbed his oar, thrusting it into the water. The whistling was getting louder and some of the crew had abandoned rowing, their hands over their ears as they squirmed. In the front of the boat, he saw Merlin waving his arms about – performing some magic Arthur supposed. With the mer-people converging on them, they were clearly about to reach the veil.

Arthur peered into the water, watching as dark shadows began to rise to the surface.

They were here.

"Elena!" he yelled, waving his arm to catch her attention.

Elena jumped to action. "Torches! Light them but don't do anything!"

Some did as they were told, but some, shaken by the hair-raising whistles, were frozen in place.

"Plugs! Put them in your ears!" yelled Arthur. He stood, his torch lit, just as one bony hand reached into the boat. With a scream, Mordred jerked back, his oar dropping into the sea. At the same time, a commotion broke out at the back of the boat.

"Your torch!" Arthur mimed moving the torch, unsure if Mordred could hear him. "Mordred, sweep the flame over the water. The mer-people don't like fire."

A whole school of mer-people were clawing at the back of the boat, their weight pulling the boat down. He swung his torch above them and they shrank away. A quick look behind him and Arthur saw that the whole boat was now surrounded by mer-people, their scales glistening in the sun as they reached into the boat. Percy, Gwen and Elena were spread across the boat, desperately trying to keep them away. When Gwen stumbled a little and it looked like a hand might reach her, Arthur's heart stopped and he had to stop himself from going to her. Percy was near her and he was the only one at the back of the boat.

"No!" Arthur lunged and grabbed hold of a young female crew who had almost fallen overboard. Frustration and fear swirled in him, like the churning water below him, and he yelled at her. "Your torch!"

It was a mess. People were running around, swinging their torches haphazardly – Arthur was amazed the boat didn't catch fire – despite Elena and Percy's best efforts at organizing them. At times, the boat would tilt dangerously, until one of them rushed over to frighten away the mer-people who were clambering onto the boat.

The water was now completely black which meant more of them were approaching. There were two things they could do – leave the area or bring on more firepower. He swung his torch over the water again, pushing some of the more frightened crew back to the safer parts of the boat. Every now and then, he glanced back at where Gwen was doing the same. It was one of these glances that he realized that Merlin was looking up into the sky. Arthur directed his gaze up as well.

For a while, Arthur saw nothing. Then a small speck appeared, growing larger and larger until Arthur realized that he was looking at the much mentioned Kilgarrah, Merlin's pet dragon. Having never seen it before, Arthur had almost thought it was something like an invisible friend, but the heat from the fire it breathed across the water proved it was not a figment of Merlin's imagination.

He yanked a few of the crew back from the edge of the boat and they all huddled in the middle of it, staring as Kilgarrah frightened away the mer-people.

"Amazing," said Gwen and he turned, surprised that she was now standing next to him. There was a scratch across her face and he gently ran his finger across it. She winced and he smiled in sympathy.

"I've heard of dragons but I've never seen one before." Somehow, their hands become entwined and they stood in the middle of the boat, with the crew, Percy, Elena and Mordred and watched in awe as Kilgarrah single-handedly chase the mer-people away.

Every flap of Kilgarrah's wings rocked the boat although he kept his distance.

"I see you've found courage," Kilgarrah said. "Perhaps you will succeed where others have failed."

"You're doing it again!"

Something that sounded like a chuckle emitted from the dragon. "Young warlock, if I tell you everything, where is the fun in that?"

"Thank you, Killy."

"Good luck!" With those words, Kilgarrah flew off.

Elena sighed. "I love Kilgarrah. So strong, so powerful."

Beside him, Gwen laughed and shook her head while Percy simply grinned at her. "You're his biggest fan," teased Gwen, leading Elena to bumping her shoulder affectionately.

"The veil is up ahead," said Merlin, disrupting the brief moment of light-heartedness. "In a few moments, we might be the first people who will get to see what lies behind it."

Gwen's hand squeezed his and he looked at her. "Shall we?" Arthur asked quietly. Gwen nodded, then looked at Percy, then at the thick fog that blanketed the way forward.

"Let's go."

* * *

AN: Thank you for all the lovely comments. :) I never realised how fun it was to write pirate!AG. Haha.


	6. Chapter 6

You couldn't see the veil but you could feel it, like cobwebs brushing across your skin. Gwen shuddered a little, her fingers still in Arthur's, as if they were equals facing whatever was beyond the veil together. He must have noticed her shudder because he moved closer, so close she could feel his heat enveloping her.

"Who goes there?"

Their boat came to a jarring stop and Gwen tore her thoughts from Arthur. Letting go of his hand, she took a step forward, willing her pounding heart to calm down as she found herself face to face with a dwarf.

"I'm Guinevere, Captain of the Excalibur." She lifted her chin and curled her hand around her cutlass. "Are you the one who is hiding the Fisher King?"

His grin was slow and enigmatic. "I am Grettir. You are the first to get past the protectors of the Fisher King. I am impressed." Grettir's eyes looked her up and down. "When I was told that you would be the one to breech the veil, I admit I was skeptical. But here you are."

"Yes." Gwen waited. It was obvious that Grettir was not finished.

"Not everyone can save the Fisher King," said Grettir.

"But we can." Gwen smiled as confidently as she could, although she had no clue as to what Grettir was talking about.

Grettir nodded. This time his gaze swept past Gwen and focused on Merlin, then Arthur. "Love, courage and magic – all together. The fates work in mysterious ways."

As confused as she was, Gwen continued to smile. "She does."

"Here," Grettir reached out and took her hand, pressing a heavy, rusty key into her palm. "Together, you three may yet save the Fisher King."

"What do you mean?" Arthur stepped forward. "The Fisher King is sunk. What is there to save?"

Grettir's laugh was cold. "It's a good thing they didn't need intelligence."

Beside her, Gwen felt Arthur stiffen and she was glad he didn't have a weapon with him. Without thinking, she shifted closer to him, gently touching the back of his hand. Immediately, he wrapped his fingers around hers.

"What are we supposed to do?" Merlin asked, moving to flank her other side.

"What do I look like? A guide to the rescue of the Fisher King?" And with those words, he disappeared right in front of their eyes.

Elena gaped. "Did that just happen?"

"If by that, you mean did a dwarf tell us to rescue a ship that sank over a year ago? Then yes," said Arthur. "What on earth is happening here?"

"Magic."

"Of course it's magic!" Arthur scoffed. "Look, can we just row towards where the Fisher King is, get her treasure and leave?"

Elena whirled on Arthur. "Have you forgotten you're our prisoner? The only person who gets to give orders is Gwen."

"I am not giving orders. I am being practical," snapped Arthur. "Gwen?"

"I should just put the shackles –"

"Stop it," said Gwen. "Arthur is right. We should go in, get the treasure and leave."

Merlin nodded. "I agree. I don't like the feel of this place."

"Full of dark magic, that's why," muttered Arthur.

"Arthur!" Gwen glared at him. He looked at her, his lips drawn tight together but said nothing. He dropped her hand and Gwen hated how bereft she felt when he did that. "Percy, let's go."

Without a word, Arthur turned and returned to his place behind Mordred. Elena looked at her questioningly but she just shrugged. It was a good reminder that Arthur wasn't a friend. He was a prisoner.

Only the splash of the waves against the sides of the boat and the rhythmic sound of the oars hitting the water accompanied them as they rowed forward. The fog only got thicker the further they travelled and the eerie silence sent a chill through Gwen. The crew worked doggedly, pushing forward through the fog. She stood next to a focused Percy and stared out at the sea. Was she doing the right thing? Was she leading her best friends into a death trap?

"We'll make it," said Merlin, quietly. "We always do, don't we?"

She looked at him gratefully. "Thank you."

"I have to admit that Arthur is pretty useful. Maybe you can persuade him to join our crew."

That made Gwen laugh, until she remembered Elena's hint about leaving. "I don't know if there will be a crew anymore."

"What are you saying?" Merlin asked.

Gwen shook her head. "Nothing. You never know what the future brings. Merlin?"

"You're right. We never –"

"No, Merlin. I see the Fisher King." Percy had clearly seen it too, signaling the crew to slow down. Elena moved from the back of the boat to join them as they stared at the looming ship in front of them.

"It didn't sink," said Gwen, frowning. "Every one said it sank."

Percy shrugged. "It's grounded – the waters here are very shallow. But it's certainly not sunk. What do you want to do now?"

"Go on board." Her heart started to speed up. "Not all of us. You and Elena stay here to look after the boat and the crew. If anything goes wrong, you are to go back to Excalibur."

"Gwen," said Elena.

Raising a hand and silencing Elena, Gwen continued. "You are not to attempt a rescue or anything like that. Understand?"

Percy shook his head but said nothing, his eyes resting on Elena. Elena looked back at him, then at Gwen. "Fine. You're the captain. But you'd better return safe. Don't take foolish risks."

"Arthur needs to come with us." Merlin said.

"What?"

"Why?"

"Kilgarrah said we needed love, courage and magic. And he called Arthur 'courage'."

"Are you sure?" asked Gwen. "That makes you 'magic'. And I am 'love'?"

A laugh exploded from Elena. "Of course you are 'love'. Let me go get 'courage' for you."

* * *

There was something about finally seeing the much talked about Fisher King in person. As it loomed in front of them, Arthur felt a chill ripple down him spine. How ironic it was that he successfully reached the Fisher King as a captive. Unconsciously, his gaze drifted to Gwen. She had done it. Another notch on her pirate belt, he guessed. Like him.

"Hey captive. Let's go." Elena walked up to him. "The captain needs you."

Suppressing the pleasure her words gave him, Arthur placed his oar down and stood slowly. "Why -"

"Don't talk," said Elena. "Just come with me."

Mordred immediately sprung up, his oar clattering loudly onto the seat. "I want to go too."

"No." Elena's response was curt.

"Why does he get to go and I -"

With a groan, Arthur turned to Mordred. "Shut up unless you want Elena to throw you overboard."

The familiar sulk settled on Mordred's face but he nodded. Arthur patted him on the shoulder, then continued on to the front of the boat. At his arrival, Merlin nodded. "Let's go."

"Wait. I'm not going on the ship unarmed." Elena scowled at him, unsurprisingly but when Gwen hesitated, uncertainty in her eyes, something far too close to hurt stung him.

_"I wouldn't trust you as far as I can throw you."_ The words echoed in his head.

Coldly, he said, "I'm not about to attempt an escape here."

"Fine. Elena?" Gwen said, not without some reluctance which sent Arthur's mood plunging even more. He grabbed the sword Elena offered him with little grace then stalked towards the edge of the boat. They would need to wade through the rushing water to get to the Fisher King. Merlin joined him quickly, then he felt Gwen behind him.

Arthur jumped off the boat, slipping as he landed on a rock, gasping as freezing water seeped into his shoes. He quickly righted himself, then watched as Merlin gingerly hopped off the boat. When Gwen prepared to get off the boat, Arthur turned away and waded towards the Fisher King. The currents tugged against his feet, making progress slow. Arthur could hear Gwen and Merlin behind him, struggling through the water. His clothes were getting soaked and the chill in the air did little to make things easy for them.

It seemed to take forever, but finally, they stood next to the Fisher King. Carefully, Arthur raised his hand and placed it on the hull of the ship. It felt no different from any other ship, which he guessed was nothing surprising.

"Well," said Merlin. "Shall we?" He gestured to a small opening further down the hull.

"Here goes nothing," said Gwen. Then, her hand wrapped tightly around her trusty cutlass, she walked toward the opening.

Arthur wasn't sure what he was expecting but he was expecting something. Not the chilly, musky, dark hold they stepped into. A hold that looked exactly like every other hold Arthur had seen. He wrinkled his nose. Once his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he looked around. No treasure. What a wasted trip.

"There's nothing here! We should leave," said Arthur. "Then we can make it out of this area before sun set."

Gwen nodded but Merlin held up a hand. "I can sense something."

"Is it treasure?" Arthur asked.

"Maybe it's what we're supposed to save," said Gwen. "Where is it?"

"I think it's on the deck."

Arthur was about to protest, tell them that the sensible thing to do was leave when Gwen nodded. He knew then that despite her words, she was foolishly going to try and save it, whatever it was. She moved to the door of the hold and swallowing a sigh, Arthur reached for it. He wrapped his hand around the handle and yanked it open. The moment the door swung open, Arthur knew it was a huge mistake.

A large creature, a cat with wings, lurched towards the door. Arthur slammed it shut, shoved Gwen at Merlin then leaned heavily on the door as the creature scratched and screamed. Beneath him, the door shuddered and creaked. It wouldn't be long before it gave way.

"Get out of here!" he yelled to the stunned Merlin and Gwen. "Take Gwen and leave!"

He felt the claws sink into his shoulder first before he heard the wood behind him splinter.

"Arthur!"

He swore and clutched at his shoulder, spinning around to find himself face to face with the beast. Instinctively, he plunged the sword into the beast, drawing a blood curdling cry from it. Arthur's shoulder's throbbed but he pulled the sword out, readying himself to stab the beast again. The smell of blood permeated the air as Arthur's head began to swim. He hoped Gwen was alright. Another swipe which Arthur dodged, but he lost his balance, and slammed into the side of the hole. Despite that, he thrust his sword up, catching the beast in it's legs.

Then he heard a blast, lifted his head to see the beast flung backwards, then collapse into a heap.

Arthur closed his eyes as he slumped against the wall, suddenly painfully aware of his bleeding shoulder. "You should have done that sooner," he muttered.

"How could I, when you were flinging Gwen at me?" said Merlin as he squatted next to him. "How's the shoulder?"

"It's all good." A hand gently brushed against his cheek, then pressed at the edges of his wound. He opened his eyes and saw Gwen's dark eyes staring back at him. He attempted a smile. "I won't die." From the corner of his eyes, he saw Merlin walk over to the fallen creature. "Is that a good idea?" he muttered.

"I could have taken care of myself," said Gwen as she tore a piece of her shirt off, then wrapped it around his shoulder.

Arthur smiled wanly again. "I know. But better me than you." Then he closed his eyes again, enjoying the feel of Gwen's fingers against his skin and her breath against his face as she bandaged his wound.

"All done. We should leave," said Gwen quietly.

"It's a magical creature," called Merlin.

Arthur struggled to his feet. "Big surprise, Merlin."

"You don't understand. Come over."

With Gwen supporting him, Arthur moved slowly to where the creature lay, except Merlin was right. It wasn't that huge cat with wings anymore. Instead a young woman lay deathly still on her side, the wound Arthur inflicted bleeding.

"What the -. It was a monster!"

With a gasp, Gwen let go of Arthur and rushed over to the prone figure. Arthur watched as she gently examine the woman's wound.

"The bleeding won't stop. Is there anything you can do, Merlin?" She cast wide, worried eyes at Merlin who hesitated. "Please?"

"She's a monster," said Arthur as he stared at the woman. His skin prickled and he remembered all his father's rants about magic. Sure, Merlin probably wasn't evil but who knew about this woman-monster in front of him? "We should go."

"No!" There was genuine distress in her voice and Merlin immediately dropped down next to her.

Still in pain, Arthur stood apart from the two and watched them. Gwen's concern was palpable. She cradled the mystery woman's head in her lap, stroking her hair and murmuring something Arthur assumed was comforting. Merlin's hand moved over the wound, doing what looked like magic.

A warm light bathed the woman.

"I think I've managed to stop the bleeding and close the wound, but she's still lost far too much blood." Merlin said, wiping his hands on his trousers as he stood.

"You could have done the same for me."

"Hey, using magic to heal is not something I take lightly. You never know what can go wrong." Merlin smiled slightly.

The woman moved, her eyes opened slightly. Arthur watched as Gwen dipped her head and the woman said something. Then hands were moving while Gwen looked up at Merlin and Arthur.

"She gave me a vial, said I need to go through the locked door in the gun deck."

Arthur really wanted to get back to the boat and then to Excalibur where he could lie down and rest his throbbing shoulder. But he took one look at Gwen's face and he knew that she wasn't about to accept his suggestion. So he said nothing and simply followed Gwen as she continued to make her way up the ship after telling Merlin to stay with the injured woman.

"Aren't you being a little too trusting?" he finally asked.

She stopped walking. "Do you think it's a trap?"

"Who knows what it is? She was a monster before she suddenly became a human." He massaged his shoulder lightly.

"Grettir said we're the ones to save the Fisher King," said Gwen.

"Maybe. What if it is a trap?"

Gwen started to walk again. "I'm going up with or without you."

"You can't help yourself, can you?" asked Arthur. "You can't stop yourself from helping others."

She continued to climb the stairs. With a sigh, Arthur started up the stairs as well. Confused didn't even begin to define what he thought of Gwen, much less how he felt about her. Lifting his sword, he moved as quickly as he could, refusing to question the sudden urge in him to protect her. When did being a captive become so complicated?

"This must be the door." Gwen stopped, waiting till Arthur stood by her side. The moment he reached her, she glanced at him, then took out the rusty key from her pocket. Arthur closed his hand around hers.

"Are you sure?"

With a firm nod, Gwen pushed the key into the keyhole and turned it. Arthur raised his sword, half expecting another creature to leap at them from behind the door. But nothing did and they took a tentative step onto the main deck.

He noticed the chair first. Immediately he stuck his arm out, stopping Gwen from moving forward.

"Look." Arthur gestured to the chair. He dropped his voice. "There's someone on it."

Pushing his arm away, Gwen stepped forward. "Hello? Are you alright?"

Arthur slipped his hand in hers and together they walked towards the cobweb-covered chair. Their footsteps echoed on the damp wood yet the person on the chair did not stir. The hair on his neck stood and Arthur gripped his sword even tighter, ignoring the twinge of pain in his shoulder. They rounded the chair and Gwen gasped.

Sat on the chair was a limp, grey figure, the movement of the chest suggesting he was still alive. Yet he was covered with cobwebs and a layer of dust. Arthur felt Gwen's hand squeeze his before she let go. Then she took one step forward, reaching out to the figure. It didn't move under her touch.

"The vial," whispered Arthur. Since the key was of use, the vial probably was as well. "Pour the liquid on him."

Arthur could see Gwen's hand shake as she withdrew the vial from her pocket. He moved closer to her. Her eyes met his, and he nodded. Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips and she slowly lifted the vial and tilted it, letting one drop fall onto the figure.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, the figure glowed. A crackling sound filled the air and then in front of them, the cobwebs disappeared from the figure and some colour returned to it.

"It's been a long time," said the figure. "I am captain Pellam."

"I'm captain Guinevere," said Gwen quietly, obviously still feeling as stunned as Arthur. Then she shook her head. "I don't understand. The ship sank."

"I was wounded by magic, a wound that quickly spread to my whole body and the rest of my crew. My crew all died but I was kept in limbo between life and death, sitting here, unable to move. Only love, courage and magic could save me."

Arthur still didn't understand.

"What is in this vial?" Gwen asked.

"It's the water from the Lake of Avalon. Keep it." He smiled. "And the treasure you seek is in the captain's cabin."

"We can't take your treasure," said Gwen. Her answer no longer surprised Arthur.

"It's yours. I have no need of it anymore. Now I need you to do one more thing. You have to kill me."

"What?" Arthur said in shock. "We just saved you."

Pellam nodded. "And for that I am eternally grateful but only the living can die. There is nothing left for me here. My crew is gone, my ship is gone. I should be dead."

Gwen was shaking her head. "We can bring you to a town, you can get a new ship."

"If you do not kill me, I will return to that limbo again in seconds. Please don't make me go back." He raised his arm slightly, showing them how it had already started to grey. "I cannot leave this ship. The magic of my wound ensures that."

"Maybe Merlin can –"

Pellam raised his hand slowly. "No. You have to end my life. Please. Give me peace."

Gwen stood unmoving. Realising she wasn't about to do anything, Arthur raised his sword. "Are you sure? This is the only way?"

Pellam nodded. "I am ready. Thank you."

With a swift move of his arm, Arthur slid the sword into Pellam's chest. Pellam slumped over and within seconds, he stopped moving completely.

Gwen still stood in front, staring in horror at Pellam's body. "How could you? How?" Her voice was barely a whisper, her knuckles white as she gripped the vial.

Feelings of protectiveness filled Arthur and he tucked her to him and led her out of the main deck back to where Merlin was.

"Where's the woman?" asked Arthur.

Merlin shrugged. "She healed pretty quickly, thanked me and jumped into the sea."

"That's it?"

"Her name was Freya, if you're interested. I glad you two are alright." Merlin peered at Gwen. "Gwen? Are you alright?"

"She's a little upset right now. Take her back to the boat. I'm going to get the treasure."


	7. Chapter 7

Elena combed through the treasure with undisguised glee. "This will last us for some time yet! We should celebrate!"

Leaning against the side of the Excalibur, Gwen tried to smile and share in Elena's enthusiasm but all her mind could think of was the scene of Arthur killing Pellam. Anger rose in her and she clung to that. The moment they returned to the Excalibur, she'd demanded that Arthur return to his bunk. His surprise was obvious but he said nothing and left.

She felt Elena move closer to her. "What's the matter?"

Before she could say anything, Merlin and Percy walked over and sat down. "Ale?" Merlin asked, passing around mugs. Silently, Gwen took one and watched as Elena snuggled into Percy. Merlin chattered on about the Fisher King and curses and why one shouldn't mess with magic or magical creatures. There were laughter, smiles and a distinct sense of relaxation only Gwen still couldn't get the image of Arthur stabbing Pellam out of her mind and with it, the quiet reminder of how much violence affected her. Elena's words returned to her - was she truly happy living like this, on the cusp of violence every day?

"Gwen? Hey!" Merlin's voice broke into her thoughts.

Plastering a smile on her face, Gwen looked up at Merlin. "Sorry, I was thinking about how the treasure is going to tide us over for at least another year."

Merlin's answering smile was bright. "It was quite the adventure, wasn't it and the haul was well worth it."

"Yeah."

"So we were thinking that this is a good time for us to stopover at a port. Percy says there's a small one a day's sail away." Elena stretched out her legs.

"As long as it doesn't belong to Camelot!" said Merlin.

With a roll of her eyes, Elena kicked Merlin lightly. "Of course we wouldn't venture anywhere near Camelot waters."

"Sounds like a good idea," said Gwen flatly. She stood and faked a yawn. "I'm exhausted and I'm going to bed."

Gwen barely took five steps before she felt Merlin's hand on her shoulder. She stopped and let her eyes close.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gently, Merlin turned her so she was facing him. Letting out a breath, Gwen opened her eyes.

"We killed captain Pellam."

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "From what I heard, Arthur was the one who did the killing."

"We could have found a cure, something. We didn't have to kill him." Arthur's sword plunging into the frail captain's chest, withdrawn coated with blood, played in her head again. "We didn't have to kill him."

Without a word, Merlin wrapped her in a hug, holding her close and rubbing her back. Her tears leaked onto his shirt and she tried to stifle a sob. It wasn't just the killing of captain Pellam, it was everything – the stress of maintaining her life on Excalibur, the possibility that Elena would leave, the ache she felt every morning when Arthur left her bed – everything was a mess.

She didn't know how long she stood there in Merlin's arms but some time later, Merlin maneuvered the two of them onto a small bench in a quiet corner of the main deck. His hands tangled in hers, he asked softly what was wrong.

Tilting her head back, Gwen could see the sky, dark except for the twinkle of stars. The cool sea breeze brushed against her face, picking up the loose strands of her hair.

"There was no choice. Pellam was lost to this world long before we even arrived," said Merlin. "I promise you Gwen."

She sniffed. "How do you know? You weren't there."

Merlin continued to rub her back. "Because Freya told me. Pellam angered the Old Religion. He was damned, no matter what. We did the best we could. We released Freya from her curse and gave Pellam peace."

"You're right." At least, Gwen tried to believe he was right. She knew her smile was forced but she hoped that Merlin wouldn't notice in the moonlight. "You're right. You know what? Go celebrate with Elena and Percy."

"And you?"

Rubbing the back of her neck, Gwen smiled again. "I'm going to bed."

* * *

One would think that after all he had done, he would have been treated a little better. But no. The moment they set foot on Excalibur, Gwen coldly ordered him back to his cabin. They could have at least tended to his shoulder first. Technically he could walk out of his cabin – he'd been allowed to do so before – but with Gwen in that strange mood, he wasn't about to chance her wrath. He kicked his bed, then realized that he was acting just like Mordred. With a sigh, Arthur flopped onto his bed. It had been almost two weeks since he had been taken captive. He was pretty sure that his father would have received the news by now.

He was glad, he told himself firmly. The Camelot navy would arrive and rescue him from this awful situation.

A knock disrupted his thoughts.

Then, much to his surprise, Gwen pushed the door open, slipped in and shut it behind her.

"Gwen," he said, slightly confused by her expression.

"How's your shoulder?" She took one step towards him, her hands reaching for the stained cloth wrapped around his shoulder. "The wound should be cleaned."

Arthur nodded, examining her closely as she slowly unwrapped the cloth. She avoided eye-contact with him. The annoyance that he'd embraced earlier slipped away, replaced by concern. "Are you –"

"Let me get some water and clean bandages." And then she was gone.

When she returned, Arthur sat quietly on the bed, letting her tend to his wound. He kept his gaze on her, watching as she expertly washed his wound, then wrapped it firmly. As she tucked the end of the bandage in, she ran her hand gently across his shoulder. He grabbed it and Gwen glanced up at him.

"Why are you here?"

"Someone had to tend to your wound." She looked away again.

Arthur took her hand from his shoulder, holding it gently. "You could have sent anyone to tend to my wound."

When she tried to pull her hand away, he tightened his hold. "Gwen."

"Kiss me," she said, her eyes finally meeting his. His first instinct was to say no, to push her to tell him why she was acting this way. But why did he even care? She'd taken him captive, for god's sake. With a growl, he pulled her to him and kissed her, nipping her lips, his fingers digging into her waist as he held her as close as he possibly could, molding her curves to him.

But their kisses and touches softened after a while. Even as he kissed her, he cradled her gently, his hands cupping her face. He had kissed her enough these two weeks to realize that today, there was a vulnerability, a fragility in Gwen that he'd never felt before and it made him want to make all sorts of ridiculous promises about taking care of her.

Slowly, he sat on his uncomfortable bed, lifting her so she was on his lap. Immediately, she buried her face in the crook of his neck, looping her arms around him. Arthur undid her braid, then unbuttoned her shirt, sliding it off her shoulders before pressing kisses along the line of her collar bone. His hand went lower to loosen her trousers before he scooped her up and placed her on the bed.

"What do you want Gwen?"

"Arthur," she whispered. "I want to forget. Please."

Previously, sex had been about seeking pleasure but as Arthur kissed her lips gently, he knew that this time it would be different. She was unusually pliant, allowing Arthur to do whatever he wanted. As his fingers dipped into her, Gwen let out a sigh as her hands tangled in his hair. He lowered his mouth, and with his fingers, brought her to a shuddering climax, once, and then again.

Still fully clothed, he spooned her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and held her close, nuzzling her neck. He could easily shuck off his trousers and slide into her and honestly, he really wanted to. But for some reason, with the mood Gwen was in, it didn't feel right.

"Don't you want to –" she murmured her hand reaching behind to cup him. Arthur caught her hand before she could make contact.

"I'm fine."

She nodded, her body relaxing into his. "Thank you."

Even as he held her, Arthur felt dread pool in him. He didn't want to feel this tenderness, this desire to protect her. All this was only going to make things more complicated, not least because his father was most likely on his way to completely destroy her. He couldn't even begin to fathom what was wrong with him, allowing himself to be taken by his captor. And Gwen. All those stories about her violent, bloodthirsty ways and she was curled in his arms, sad and vulnerable, because he'd killed Pellam. He stroked her hair, then kissed the back of her head. If it had been Elena being called the scourge of the seven seas, Arthur could understand, but Gwen?

When he woke, she was still in his arms, all soft and warm. Slivers of sunlight seeped into his cabin and he groaned, untangling himself from Gwen then leaving his bed. Gwen sighed, shifted and buried her face in his pillow.

"Is she with you?" Elena opened his door and poked her head in.

"Don't you have any manners? And yes, she's sleeping."

"Don't forget who you are," Elena snapped and shoved a tray at him. "Make sure she eats."

Grumbling under his breath, Arthur kicked the door shut. Gwen stirred, blinking before staring in confusion at him.

"Hey." Still holding the tray, he sat on the bed next to her.

Her smile was tentative. "Hey. Is that breakfast?"

"Yup. Unfortunately, you're going to have to eat it in this tiny room." He handed her a bowl.

"Thanks."

For a while, they ate in silence, side by side on his bed. In between, Arthur stole glances at her. He cleared his throat. "Have you ever killed before?"

Gwen started, then frowned. "Of course." The answer was rushed and instinctively, Arthur knew she was lying.

"Liar," he whispered, leaning over to touch her cheek. Even with her messy hair, sleepy eyes and skin creased by the sheets, he couldn't help but think about how beautiful she was. It was suddenly important she told him the truth.

"That's ridiculous. I'm a pirate. Of course I've killed."

Arthur set his bowl aside. "That may be true but never intentionally."

Shrugging, Gwen stuffed her spoon in her mouth.

"This whole reputation you have, it's all lies, isn't it?"

"I'm going back –"

Arthur grabbed her hand. "Tell me the truth."

"Why?" asked Gwen as she stood and pulled her hand from his. "Who are you to demand anything from me? You're my captive and I don't owe you any answers."

Arthur stood as well, anger surging through him at her words, at the fact that she was still lying to him. "Maybe you should stop pretending to be someone you're not."

"Who I am is none of your business!"

"It's my business when you use me for comfort sex last night because you couldn't deal with seeing people die."

That made Gwen pause. "You agreed to this arrangement," she finally said, her voice cold. "But I can see it's not working anymore."

"Gwen." He reached for her but she took a step back.

"No. Don't touch me. You can still have freedom of the boat as long as you do whatever duties Elena gives you."

Arthur grit his teeth. "Fine."

"Great." As she left, she slammed the door.

* * *

"You're in a mood." Mordred scrubbed the main deck with more vigour than Arthur had seen in the past week.

Arthur grunted and continued working. He wasn't in a mood because he didn't care about Gwen or her ship. And he'd be happy when his father arrived, annihilated Gwen's merry band of pirates and he could go back to trying to regain his position as captain of the navy. He flung his rag into the bucket of dirty water.

"Elena gave me a piece of jewellery. Reward for my part in the Fisher King treasure hunt."

"One piece of jewellery." Arthur laughed. "You're easy."

"Also, Elena says we're going to spend some time at a port. I like sailing but it'll be good to be on dry land, don't you think? And, Percy said that because I worked well, he'll teach me how to rig the ship."

His smile this time was genuine. "That's brilliant."

"You'll stay on the ship too, right?" Mordred asked. Then his voice dropped. "You could be the captain's first officer. I think she likes you too."

"I am a captive," said Arthur, turning his attention back to the deck he was scrubbing.

"Yeah but as long as your father doesn't come for you, you can stay."

That was perilously close to his own thoughts early this morning, when he was wrapped up with Gwen.

"I am sure that my father will come soon."

It was the wrong thing to say and Arthur knew it the moment the smile faded from Mordred's face, replaced with his usual sulky pout. With a sigh, Arthur scrubbed harder, hoping the ache in his arms would help him ignore the one in his chest.

* * *

As Gwen lounged on the deck with Merlin, she couldn't help but watch as Arthur worked on repairing some part of the ship, even though watching him made her want him. She'd overreacted this morning, still shaken by his killing of Pellam and nervous about sharing too much with him. Despite everything, how he'd supported them during their adventures on the Fisher King, Gwen was very aware that he was still the enemy and chances were that his father was now leading the Camelot navy after them.

"I think it's all fate," said Merlin.

"Fate?" Gwen removed her arm from her eyes and looked up at Merlin.

"If you hadn't kidnapped Arthur, there's no way we would have been able to get the Fisher King's treasure."

Gwen shook her head. "Let's not forget the part in which I've effectively set the whole Camelot navy on our tails."

"That's assuming they can find us. The oceans are huge." Merlin stretched. "We will be prepared for them."

"Yeah." It would be her and her crew on one side and Arthur and Camelot on the other. Her against Arthur. That thought hurt.

As if reading her thoughts, Merlin continued. "We'll be fighting against Arthur."

"Maybe his father will give us the ransom and we can just release him."

"So this has nothing to do with getting revenge on Uther?"

Gwen let her arm cover her eyes again. "I don't know."

"You could kill Arthur. Let Uther have a taste of how you suffered," said Merlin quietly.

"No!" She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shut out the sudden pain that accompanied the idea of Arthur dying. "You know how I feel about killing. No."

Merlin said nothing but leaned against the side of the ship next to her. Excalibur rocked gently as Percy guided it towards Mercia, a small port town.

Even as Gwen tried to keep her mind on happy thoughts like the full hold she had right now, Elena's words, Arthur's questions kept invading her mind. It was all Arthur's fault. If he hadn't let his ship catch fire, if he hadn't been the crown prince of Camelot, if he hadn't acted as if he actually cared about he, she would be lying here on her deck, pleased with her haul and not worrying about whether she was really happy and moping over a break up that wasn't even really a break up. "Are you happy Merlin?"

"Hmm?" Merlin's head lolled to the side so he could look at her. "I am pretty happy. But I'm happy anywhere I can work on my magic."

"So if I gave up Excalibur –"

"Hey, hey, hey. What are you talking about? I told you that we'll survive the Camelot attack. I promise you."

Gwen smiled at Merlin. "It's just something Elena said. She's feeling restless. Life on a peaceful pirate ship isn't really for her, I guess."

"She discovers this after sailing on the Excalibur for 5 years?"

"You have to admit, life was a lot more exciting when my dad was around."

Merlin raised one eyebrow. "Never thought I'd hear the day you'd describe those days as exciting. I remember a girl who hated the violence, who pleaded with her father to retire from being a pirate. What happened to her?"

"She thought that she could be happy pretending she liked being a pirate. She thought if she learned to like being a pirate, it would make up for the way she treated her father before he died."

Merlin's arm slipped around her shoulders but he said nothing.

"Arthur asked me who I really am. I yelled at him."

"He probably deserved it," laughed Merlin and Gwen smiled reluctantly. "And who is he to ask you such things anyway? You give him a little freedom and he thinks he can ask anything he wants."

"Exactly," said Gwen, even as a strange sense of emptiness came over her.


	8. Chapter 8

All port towns tended to look the same – the same traders lining the main streets, workers at the ports waiting for the work that came with the incoming ships, sailors at the various pubs and taverns taking a break from the sea. Percy anchored the Excalibur in a quieter part of the dock, the red flag taken down so as to not draw attention to them. As much as she loved being on water, Gwen was glad to see dry land.

"One night. Report back by sunrise tomorrow or Excalibur will leave without you." Elena glared down at the crew. "There are tons of people who would love to be part of the Excalibur so don't think we won't replace you if you're late."

Murmurs of agreement filled the air before all of them trooped off the ship. Within minutes, the deck was cleared of all the crew except Gwen, Merlin, Elena and Percy.

"What are we going to do about the prisoner?" asked Elena. Arthur stood slightly behind, his hands cuffed behind him. "I rather not bring him around as we shop for supplies. Plus Percy and I want some time alone."

"I'll take him," said Gwen impulsively.

Elena sent her a cheeky smile while Merlin mouthed 'are you sure' at her. But before she could change her mind, Elena shoved Arthur towards her, linked arms with Percy and happily walked off the ship.

"I need to get some magic supplies too. You'll be alright?" Merlin asked.

"I'm not exactly in a position to hurt her," muttered Arthur.

"I'll be fine. I'll see you in the Sunrise Tavern for dinner?" With a nod, Merlin was off, leaving Arthur alone with her.

"Lead the way."

Gwen glanced at Arthur, bit her lip then took off his cuffs. "Come on."

* * *

After securing three rooms at the Sunrise Tavern, Gwen and Arthur slowly climbed up the stairs. Arthur had been silent although Gwen could feel his eyes on her a lot of the time. Her hand trembled as she pushed the key into the keyhole, but she succeeded and the door swung open.

"Are we sharing a room?" asked Arthur. "Someone has to keep an eye on me right?"

Gwen ignored his question and took out the cuffs. "You'll stay here. Come here."

Arthur walked over to where she was. "You're going to cuff me to the bed?" He practically leered at her and she turned away. He was trying to make her uncomfortable and she wasn't going to give him the pleasure.

Roughly, she grabbed his arm and secured one cuff to it, cuffing the other to the bed post. "I'll bring you lunch later."

His eyes bored into hers. "Why are you acting like this?"

"I don't –"

"Don't do this."

Gwen frowned at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know I'm your captive but let's stop pretending that that is all that is between us," said Arthur, a tension in his voice that suggested he was barely holding on to his temper.

"You mean the sex?" She hated that her own voice wavered. Deliberately, she turned her back on him and stared out of the dirty window. The streets below bustled and she caught sight of Elena in a heated discussion with one of the stall holders.

"It's completely foolish, I know, but I have come to care about you. And I know you care about me too. You can lie to yourself if you want, but you know it's true." Arthur bit out angrily.

Her eyes suddenly stung with tears. "You don't sound like you care," she said.

"If I didn't care, I'd have let you and Merlin die on that blasted ship!" She heard him suck in a breath, then his voice gentled. "Tell me you don't care about me, that you feel nothing."

"You are just my captive." But even Gwen knew Arthur could hear the lie in the words. "Just a captive," she repeated even as her voice quivered.

"Come here," Arthur said quietly, pleadingly.

Elena was now smiling broadly at the merchant, probably because she had gotten a good deal from him. Percy had one arm slung casually around her shoulders, although it was clear his mind was on other things. She should leave the room, go down to the market and catch up with them.

"Gwen."

She turned. He stretched out his free hand.

For a while, she didn't move. Then she went to him, letting him take her hand to pull her next to him on the bed. After spending so many nights in bed with him, she should have felt more comfortable sitting next to him but she didn't. Tension and apprehension made her stiff and she pulled her hand from his. His eyes reflected hurt but he didn't attempt to touch her again.

"Why do you live a lie?" Arthur finally asked.

Her gaze fell to her hands and she chewed on her lip.

"The Gwen I have gotten to know doesn't like violence or killing. The Gwen I saw on the ship would rather help others than be the source of their destruction. That's the same person who turned on me because I killed the captain of the Fisher King."

Two weeks and he knew her this well. She already cared far too much about him. She didn't need him pushing this. Any sensible person would cut ties with Arthur, put some distance between them before his father came. "Why does this even matter? Your father is probably hunting us down right now, then you'll turn on me and – what is the point?"

This time, he touched her again, his finger against her chin, urging her to look at him.

"The Gwen I know," he said in a low, rough voice, "is a generous, kind, brave person. I like her very much."

A harsh breath escaped her. "There's no future in this," she said, even as she felt her defences weakening.

"There's the present. Tell me you feel nothing for me." His breath fluttered against her cheek as he leaned closer.

Gwen swallowed. "I feel desire."

A smile spread on his face. "I feel that too."

"I don't want to care about you."

"Funny," he said, his lips against the corner of her lips. "I don't want to care about you too."

It would only take a slight turn for her to be able to kiss him. "I like you Arthur Pendragon," she breathed even as her mind told her she was being a fool.

"I like you too, Captain Gwen." And then before she could do anything, he moved so he could kiss her firmly. "I like you far too much for my own good."

She finally smiled as Arthur's lips drifted to her neck. "This is such a bad idea."

"You know it stopped being just sex a long time ago," he groaned against her throat, his free arm wrapped around her waist. With a smooth move, he lay on the bed, pulling her to lie on top of him. Then, he made quick work of her braid, running his hand through her hair till it spilled all over him. He smiled up at her and her heart stopped. Arthur had smiled at her many times, but this time there was a tenderness, an affection that she'd never seen before. Slowly, she traced his lips with her fingers until he took one into his mouth, sucking gently. That alone sent desire pooling in her and she shifted so that his length was positioned where she ached.

"Are we going to do this with you cuffed to the bed?" she asked as she unbuttoned his shirt slowly, teasing each bit of skin she revealed with her tongue and mouth.

"You may not like violence," he rasped. "But I know you like being in charge."

Arthur's shirt was completely unbuttoned and she had kissed and licked her way down to the edge of his trousers. Her palm ran over his thigh, enjoying the way he shuddered under her touch, before it reach the ties. He groaned her name. But it was nothing like the groan that was torn from him when she took him in her mouth. His free hand fisted in her hair, urging her on while his hips jerked erratically.

"I want to taste you too. Turn around."

It took Gwen a while to understand what he was suggesting. Then, it became quite clear that it was easier said than done, especially when one of them was cuffed to the bed. A fit of giggles overtook her as she tried to crawl into position then slipped, landing on Arthur's stomach.

"You're graceful on the ship, not so much on the bed," said Arthur as his hand drifted over her hip, trying to undo her trousers.

She huffed. "You're not helping!"

"If you kept still for a while, I'd be able to remove your trousers!"

Impatient, she shoved his hands away, untying it herself and pushing them off, letting them drop onto the ground. When she looked up at Arthur, he was smiling with far too much satisfaction. "What is it?"

His hand slipped under her shirt. "I never knew how sexy you would look with just a shirt on." When her fingers moved to the buttons, he stopped her. "Don't. I like it. Now, can you get into position?"

"What happened to me being in charge?" Then she squeaked when Arthur pinched her nipple.

"Gwen," he groaned. "Come on."

She shifted again, turning. When he lifted his head, kissing the inside of her thigh, she gasped his name, the desire that had dampened slightly, shooting up again. Her hand wrapped around his length, stroking him before she dipped her head to lick him.

"Gwen," he said again, his nails digging into her hip, the vibration of his voice sending a thrill through her. At that moment, Gwen knew she was in over her head but that brief moment of worry was utterly wiped from her mind when Arthur did something with his tongue.

* * *

Arthur wrapped both arms around Gwen, nuzzling her damp hair. She whimpered slightly, then burrowed further into his embrace. Her breathing was steady and it soothed Arthur. With her eyes closed, her face relaxed, Arthur thought she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen, even in comparison to all the noble women his father had been parading in front of him. He had no idea what he was thinking admitting that he liked her, pushing her to admit the same, especially know how impossible any future together was, yet for now, he was oddly happy.

She sighed and opened her eyes.

"Hey," he murmured.

Her smile made his heart somersault and he kissed her forehead. "Hey," she said.

"You know, I'm not the captain of the Camelot navy."

"Because you've been taken prisoner?" Amusement danced in her eyes. "You should be my prisoner forever."

Arthur smiled in return. "No, because my father thought I wasn't ruthless enough. So he gave my position to someone else."

"But you're the crown prince."

"Believe me, it was humiliating enough. Especially when my whole life, all I wanted, all I was expected to do, was be my father." Idly, he drew random patterns on her bare shoulder. "My father would never have been kidnapped by you."

Almost immediately Arthur felt her tense next to him. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I've been wondering why you pretend to be some bloodthirsty, cruel pirate when you're not."

She shifted so she was no longer in his embrace. Leaning over the bed, she snagged her shirt and pulled it on.

"You may not be, but your father definitely was. I was on a ship he plundered a long time ago." Arthur closed his eyes and crossed his arms behind his head. "It was not quite the same way you dealt with my ship." He said it as mildly as possible as he watched Gwen.

She was pulling on her trousers now, the tension evident in her posture. Arthur sighed, then took her hand. Still, she refused to turn around.

"You are not your father, the same way I'm not my father. And if there's one thing I learnt since being stripped of my position, it's that sometimes it's better not to be. I love my father but he is a harsh, cruel man who sees the world in black and white."

Her head dropped. When she finally spoke, her voice was small. "Before my father died, just before your father killed him, we had a huge quarrel. I told him that if he continued to be a pirate, I would leave the ship. Then of course your father's ship attacked, and he died, and I -"

By the time she finished, Arthur had her tightly wrapped in his arms. "Gwen," he said as he cupped her face. "I am sorry my father killed your father."

"It was inevitable, wasn't it? My father was plundering your ships, amongst others. And if it wasn't your father, it would have been someone else." She picked at her shirt. "I thought that if I did want my father wanted, that if I embraced being a pirate, I wouldn't feel so guilty. I guess it's not quite working out." Her laugh was wry and Arthur felt his heart soften even more.

His fingers tangled in her hair. "We're not our fathers nor should we have to be," he said again. "And I think that we've spent enough time talking about them." Slowly, he dragged his thumb across her lips. "We don't have much time together."

Arthur didn't want to think about what would happen when his father eventually found them. For now, he just wanted to enjoy whatever time they had together. It was obvious Gwen felt the same way when she twisted in his arms, smiled up at him through her lashes and lifted her face up for a kiss. "Well then, we should make the most of it."

* * *

They were holding hands and strolling through the busy market. In the distance, the sun was setting, casting a golden glow upon the port town. Merchants yelled out bargains, trying to rid themselves of their goods before night fall. No one seemed to recognize them and Arthur basked in the anonymity and the presence of Gwen.

"A lovely hair clip for a lovely lady?" sang a merchant, blocking their way and shoving a jeweled hair clip in front of Gwen.

She took the clip and looked at it, a slight smile on her face, then shook her head firmly. "No, thank you."

"It's made of tortoise shell and this here is a garnet. It's an exquisite piece." The merchant refused to take the clip from Gwen's hand.

"No, really. It is beautiful but not something I can afford." Gwen pressed the clip back into the hand of the merchant. "But thank you for showing it to me."

Once out of hearing distance, Arthur leaned over and whispered into her ear. "You could afford it easily and you clearly liked it."

"Very true but the more frivolous I am with our money, the more pressure there is on me to plunder more ships."

They had walked to the edge of the market and down to the water. As the sun slowly sank into the sea, the merchants started to pack up while the labourers working on the ships slowly drifted into the various taverns. It wasn't long before the streets became silent and the only light was those from the few torches outside the taverns. Arthur tightened his hold on Gwen's hand.

"You need to quit being a pirate."

Her laugh was light. "And what would I be? A farmer?"

"I've sometimes wanted to be a farmer," he said, half-seriously. "No boring council meetings, no fate of the kingdom on my shoulders."

"Only the tedious work of harvesting your crop, milking cows and hoping for good weather," grinned Gwen. Her hand ran across his arm. "I'm sure physical labour is just up your alley."

"Are you suggesting I would be a bad farmer?"

"I am suggesting that a pirate and a prince would be terrible farmers! We wouldn't last a week."

He laughed as he pulled her closer and put his arm around her waist. "I guess we'll need to think of something else."

"Seriously, if you could be anything you wanted, what would you want to be?"

Arthur glanced down at her. "I would want to be me."

She stopped walking. "The prince of Camelot?"

"Yes. I love Camelot and her people, and despite everything, I want to be a good ruler – to give the people peace and prosperity." He turned to look out at the sea. "I want to make Camelot a great place to live in. I want the people in Camelot to feel happy and safe. It's a little idealistic, isn't it?" Arthur said wryly, thinking of all the times his father accused him of that very thing.

Instead of replying, she lifted herself on her toes, cupped his face and kissed him. Arthur instinctively held her closer and deepened the kiss, until one of their stomachs grumbled. He felt her lips curve into a smile against his. "Guess I'm a little hungry."

"Let's get some food then," said Arthur, taking her hand again.

* * *

"I see you're free," Elena said, glancing suspiciously at Arthur. She hopped onto the stool next to Gwen, followed by Percy. Elena's attention immediately turned to Gwen. "We've replenished the supplies in the ship. We can set sail tomorrow."

"There's no hurry, right?"

"I guess not," said Elena. "Do you like Mercia that much?"

Gwen shrugged. "It's been a while since we've been on dry land."

"Huh. Well, how long do you want to stay?"

"A few days?" Gwen was purposely avoiding Arthur's eyes but he knew what she was doing.

Percy leaned forward. "Sounds good."

Elena's expression spoke volumes but she said nothing.

"Why don't I get us some food and drinks?" Percy left the table and wandered towards the bar.

Under the table, Arthur took Gwen's hand.

"Mercia is amazing," gushed Merlin as he bumped into the table. "Oh hey. You're not locked up."

"No I'm not," said Arthur but clearly, Merlin was no longer interested in him, unlike Elena who was still sitting there, her eyes boring through him.

"Anyway, Mercia has the most amazing magic supplies. I found a whole bunch of ingredients I've not been able to find elsewhere."

Gwen's smile was bright. "That's great. Did you find any books?"

"So many!"

Arthur's stomach tightened as Gwen and Merlin chatted freely about magic. It was difficult to see big eared, fresh faced Merlin as a dark arts practitioner and he had to admit that Merlin was making him reconsider his beliefs about magic. Still, magic still made Arthur wary and listening to them talk about it made him uncomfortable. He glanced around the tavern. It looked like any other tavern with the same variety of people.

"Food! And ale!" Percy dumped a large tray on the table. "Let's eat!"

Despite Merlin's constant chatter about magic and Elena's suspicious glances, when Gwen placed her hand on his thigh and fed him a piece of her chicken, Arthur decided that this was one of the best meals he'd ever had. And the night got even better when Gwen, slightly tipsy from the copious amounts of ale they drank, shoved him onto the bed, then proceeded to have her wicked way with him.

As the crickets chirped outside and the sea wind rattled the window, Arthur and Gwen spent the night sleeping in each other's arms for the first time.

* * *

AN: I'm going on holiday so chances are the updates for this fic is going to be much slower. Sorry! But at least they are happy (for now).


	9. Chapter 9

Arthur was still snoring when Gwen woke, his breath warm against the side of her face. The sunlight that filtered into the small room through the slightly cracked, stained window highlighted the dust particles that danced in the morning breeze. Lifting herself up on one elbow, she looked at him – crown prince of Camelot, son of her father's murderer. Doubts crept up on her as she watched him sleep, his chest moving up and down rhythmically, his lips slightly parted. What did she really know about him besides the fact that she was incredibly attracted to him physically and that his touch did things to her body she'd never experienced before?

She turned away, then pushed herself up. Memories of Lancelot crowded into her head – the months of what seemed to be endless bliss and joy until he'd abruptly left. A stopover at a small shipping port, not dissimilar to this one, a chance meeting with Elaine, daughter of Lord Petchere, a farewell note and Lancelot was little more than a memory. The familiar pain, the one she'd kept close to her heart for the years since Lancelot, threatened to choke her again.

Lancelot and her had seemed matched in heaven.

Arthur and her, on the other hand, couldn't be any more unsuited for each other.

Not that this was anything more than a physical attraction Gwen told herself firmly. Sure, she liked Arthur – he was kind to Mordred, to her and had helped with the Fisher King – but he was still Arthur Pendragon. And there was nothing wrong with liking him. As long as she remembered who they were.

A warm palm slid up her bare back.

"Come here." Arthur's sleepy voice commanded, his hand sending shivers down her spine. Obediently, pushing all her worries away, Gwen lay back down in bed, letting him pull her close, resting her head on the warm expanse of his chest. His mouth pressed against the crown of her head and he murmured something that she couldn't make out. She sighed, turned her face into the crook of his neck and closed her eyes, trying to shut out that part of her brain that persisted in being sensible.

"Arthur?"

"Mmm." He shifted slightly so he could look at her as his hand trailed down her side. "Did you want something?"

"What are we doing, Arthur?"

He shifted again. "We're sleeping. At least I was until you started thinking loudly."

"I mean this." She waved her hand at them, at their entwined arms and legs. "Your father -"

Her words were cut off by his lips. The kiss was gentle, more a light touch than anything else. His thumb stroked her cheek. "Don't think so much, hmm? Let's just enjoy what we have now."

"Until your father comes?"

He adjusted them so she was under him, wrapped his fingers around her curls and pressed light kisses on her cheek and eyes. "We'll cross that bridge when we reach it."

"Alright," she sighed, even as her brain told her she was being foolish. He kissed her head again, tucked her close and for a long time, they just sat snuggled on the bed.

* * *

"Psst." Gwen jumped and swore, turning around to see Merlin beckoning to her. In response her stomach rumbled.

"What is it?"

"Come here." Merlin beckoned her again.

Gwen frowned. Part of her wanted to join Arthur down in the tavern for breakfast, the other part of her was very curious as to why Merlin was hiding behind corners. She took a tentative step towards him and before she could even open her mouth, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her into the dark alcove he was hiding in. As if that wasn't shocking enough, hiding in the corner of alcove was Elena.

"What are you two up to?" Gwen found herself squashed into the alcove, pressed up against Merlin's bony side and Elena's less-than-bony front.

"We need to talk," said Elena. "About you and that captive."

Merlin nodded his head vigorously but said nothing.

"What's there to talk about?"

"It's one thing to sleep with him but it's another when the two of you act like you're in some kind of relationship." Even in the shadows, Gwen could see Elena frowning at her.

Gwen shrugged. "It's just sex."

"Really? Because you two were holding hands at the market."

"How do you know that?" Merlin coughed and Gwen turned her head to glare at him. "Merlin!"

"I was worried about you!"

Elena grabbed her hand, as if worried Gwen was about to turn and run, which she was sorely tempted to do. "We are worried about you!"

Drawing herself up, difficult when she was sandwiched between Merlin and Elena, Gwen huffed. "If I can captain a ship, I can manage my personal life."

"Gwen, he's the enemy." Merlin nodded along as Elena spoke. It was a good thing that they were all pressed together in the small alcove because Gwen was pretty sure that Elena would be jabbing a finger at her if she had the space. "Use him for sex, I don't care. But once you start to care for him -"

"He's not the enemy. His father is." It was the exact wrong thing to say and Gwen braced herself for Elena's retort.

Instead, Elena shook her head and sighed dramatically. "Oh Gwen." The grip on Gwen's arm loosened and became more of a caress. "Just know that Merlin and I are always here for you."

"Elena -"

Elena's voice hardened. "And no matter how you feel about Arthur, we need to be ready for an attack by the Camelot navy. You at least agree with that right?"

"Of course." Another thing that popped out of her mouth without her thinking.

"Good." Elena dropped Gwen's hand. "Alright Merlin, we can go now."

They tumbled out of the alcove into one of the tavern maids who glared suspiciously at them. Muttering apologies, Gwen quickly darted towards the doors to the main dining area. Amidst the noise and crowd, Gwen immediately spotted Arthur, head bent, talking to Mordred. She wanted to smile but Elena was at her side watching her, so instead, she bit her lip and stared straight ahead.

"Gwen, Elena, Merlin." Arthur rose as they approached the table. "Hope you don't mind Mordred joining us."

Gwen smiled at Mordred, who looked as sulky as before. "It's fine. I'm starving."

When she sat, Arthur reached out and took her hand. Elena's words still in her head, she pulled her hand away, then refused to look at Arthur throughout breakfast. Arthur directed some questions towards her softly, under his breath but aside from brief nods, she kept up a conversation with Merlin and Elena. He must have gotten the message because he dropped her hand and turned his attention to Mordred.

"I think we should make a move tomorrow morning." Elena jabbed the table to make her point. "We may not have anchored the ship nearby but someone is bound to realise who you are. And you know the bounty on your head."

"Conveniently transferred from your father," muttered Merlin. "It should have died with him."

"You know they are trying to completely destroy the Excalibur. Whoever takes over it, takes over the bounty. Back to the matter, two days is long enough. I've gotten enough supplies and Percy says the ship is ready to sail. Gwen?"

"You're right. We should make a move tomorrow. And make sure we're prepared for the upcoming attack." Gwen nodded at Elena. Immediately, Elena shushed her, darting a glance at Arthur.

Arthur set down his mug with a thump. "There's no need to hide because of me. I know we -"

"We?" Elena narrowed her eyes. "You're not part of our group."

Gwen could see Arthur tense. "Elena -"

"He's not part of us." Elena stared at Gwen. "Is he? He is the enemy."

Arthur's eyes were also on her, heavy, demanding. She looked down at the heavy wood table, pretending she couldn't feel his gaze.

"That may be true but -"

With a snort, Arthur waved her off. "I think it's best I leave now." Pushing his chair back, he stood. And even though she kept her eyes on the table, she could imagine the mix of hurt and anger in his eyes. When he spoke again, his voice was devoid of all the warmth it held just one night ago. "Don't worry. I'll be back so you can use me for ransom."

"Well," said Merlin, who then took another gulp of his drink. "That went well."

Gwen's eyes followed Arthur as he stalked out of the tavern, her heart sinking when she noticed the tension in his back and the haughty tilt of his head.

"Why did you have to do that?" Mordred stood, anger glinting in his eyes. "He was good to you – he helped you with that treasure hunt."

"Mordred –" Gwen reached out a hand but it was too late. Mordred was following literally in Arthur's footsteps.

"Leave him. He's just a whiny kid." Elena shook her head. "Now that the captive is gone, let's discuss plans" Her eyes gleamed as something behind Gwen caught her attention.

With a clatter, Percy took a seat next to them. "Just checked on the ship. She's all ready to go. Also, was that our captive then our cabin boy who stormed out?"

Elena's arm immediately slipped around Percy's waist as she smiled up at him. "Good timing. We're just about to discuss how we're going to destroy the Camelot Navy."

"That's a little excessive, isn't it?" Gwen glanced at Merlin then at Elena. "We don't have to completely destroy the navy."

Percy laughed. "Elena's just exaggerating. We'll be prepared to repel any attack, just like we always do."

Shrugging from Percy's hold, Elena glared at him. "I'm not. Look, this is the perfect opportunity to get some revenge. Sleeping with the enemy hasn't made you forget that his father killed yours. With Merlin's you-know, we have the advantage." Her voice dropped. "No one knows we have magic."

"Have you forgotten that the men on his ship saw us use magic?" Merlin finally spoke now that his plate was clear.

Her attention shifting to Merlin, Elena grinned. "Maybe but firstly, they don't know the source of our magic - only Arthur does and secondly, Uther's brilliant plan to rid Camelot of all magic has left him vulnerable to magic."

Tapping his fingers on the table, Merlin mused over Elena's words. "You do have a point. Of course, we are depending on Arthur not telling his father this. Also, my magic is good enough to defend us from one ship. I am not sure about a whole navy."

"But you've been practising." Gwen looked up at Merlin and placed her hand on his arm. "I've seen you. And you have Kilgarrah."

Elena chuckled and clasped her hands together. "So we're in agreement that we should destroy the Camelot navy?"

"Elena -" Gwen narrowed her eyes as her heart sped up. Not only was she not a fan of bloodshed – and a battle between Excalibur and the Camelot navy would be full of that, the idea of standing opposite Arthur and trying to destroy the kingdom he loved made her stomach hurt.

"Gwen!" Grabbing her arm, Elena shook her head, her blonde hair flying across her face. "Don't let Arthur's prowess in bed affect you."

Percy shook his head. "As strong as Merlin may be and as well-equipped as Excalibur is, taking the Camelot Navy head on is still a recipe for disaster." He looked intently at Elena. "You know this."

With a huff, Elena slumped back into her chair.

"Maybe there doesn't need to be blood spilled. We'll return Arthur –"

"You're just letting him go?" Elena shot up straight again. "Do you think Uther is going to thank you?"

"No. Of course not."

"He killed your father!"

"Stop it, Elena! Yes, I took Arthur captive because I wanted revenge. But I wasn't thinking. Percy is right. We will never survive an attack by Camelot."

Elena stood. "I can't believe that you are giving up avenging your father's death because you like his murderer's son."

Percy placed a hand on Elena but she shrugged it off, pushed herself from the table and walked off.

"She'll be fine," muttered Percy, then he too left the table.

With a groan, Gwen dropped her head into her hands. Fingers curled gently around her wrists. "Hey."

"Oh Merlin."

"Do you want revenge?" His thumb rubbed comfortingly across the back of her hand. "We could just return Arthur safe and sound. Maybe Uther will find it in himself not to attack us if we did that. Elena will get over not getting to participate in an all-out blood bath."

Lifting her head, she attempted a smile at Merlin. "Part of me wants to hurt Uther the way he hurt me." She paused, unsure but this was Merlin, one of her best friends. "Just, doing that will hurt Arthur."

"And you don't want to hurt him?" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I don't know. Maybe Elena is right. This thing I have with Arthur is messing everything up."

For a while Merlin kept silent. "I'm not a fan of revenge," he said finally.

Relief filled Gwen. "Neither am I. Revenge would make me as bad as Uther."

"We can't destroy the Camelot navy like Elena wants. But we're definitely more than capable of defending ourselves." Merlin smiled. "Did you know I finally perfected that invisible spell?"

This time her smile was more genuine as excitement built in her. It was almost enough to make her forget the past few minutes. "You didn't! You've been working on it forever!"

"Half a year isn't forever!" But he laughed, then took her hand. "I can make myself invisible."

"Can you make Excalibur invisible?"

"Well, I was hoping to try that this morning. Want to see?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Standing, Gwen tugged at Merlin. "Come on. I can't wait to see it."

* * *

Mordred kicked a stone. "They hate you."

"Elena does."

"The captain doesn't? She wasn't exactly defending you in there."

Arthur wanted to snap at Mordred, point out that he was there when Gwen had practically called him the enemy, which was the truth so he didn't know why he had reacted so badly. Telling her he liked her, believing when she said she liked him. What did he think he was playing at? "This isn't your concern."

Beside him, he heard Mordred huff. Thankfully, that was Mordred's only response. The market was already bustling with the merchants setting up their stalls and no one paid any attention to them. Briefly, Arthur remembered Gwen's and his walk through it yesterday – the bubble of happiness that they had enclosed themselves in – the bubble that had burst so quickly.

"What attack were they talking about?" Mordred stopped walking suddenly.

His first instinct was to lie. But Mordred hated being treated as a child, even if he was very much one. "My father."

Realization dawned on Mordred's face. "You can't let him!"

"What do you expect me to do?" In frustration, Arthur stalked ahead. Only rushed footsteps told him that Mordred was following him.

"I don't know," said Mordred, his usual bluster nowhere to be heard. A rock flew past and Arthur paused, letting Mordred catch up. "Will your father send the whole navy?"

"Likely."

"Then what about Excalibur? You're going to destroy Excalibur?" Mordred took a step back.

Stopping and placing both his hands on Mordred's shoulders, Arthur looked at him. "Your loyalties lie with Excalibur. Remember that."

Under his hands, Arthur could feel Mordred slump. "What about your loyalties?"

"I am a captive. I have no stake in the Excalibur." He dropped his hands, his gut burning with the lie, then walked on, past the rest of the market, ignoring the merchants trying to get his attention, all the way to the port. Various labourers and seamen dodged past him, many carrying various supplies for their ships. As far as his eye could see, ships lined the port. Not the Excalibur – she was hidden, the bright, red flag taken down. The morning sun shone into his eyes and he squinted at the horizon. His mind turned to that other detail that had slipped out at breakfast – the bounty on Gwen's head. It wasn't his father who placed the bounty on her head – his father would much prefer being the one to orchestrate her death. So who was it? And why did he even care? She was lucky to have Merlin and Elena. As annoying as Elena was, he was pretty sure she would do anything for Gwen.

The question now was what would he do for her?

"Arthur."

"You should go back to the crew." He looked down at Mordred. "Keep your temper in check. Listen to Elena and I'm sure you'll do well on the Excalibur."

"You said you would return! Are you leaving?" Mordred grabbed his arm, that familiar sulk appearing on his face. "You could help us. You know your navy."

"I can't fight against my father!" He pushed Mordred's hand away. He sucked in a breath – it was not fair to take out his frustrations on Mordred. "Look, go back to the tavern alright?"

Mordred's jaw worked and hurt filled his eyes. "You said you would come back – to be used as ransom."

"Go back to the tavern Mordred." Arthur directed his gaze back to the horizon.

Mordred had walked some distance away when he spoke again. "Do you think the Excalibur will be destroyed?"

Tearing his gaze from the horizon, Arthur looked back at Mordred. "No. You have Merlin."

"Merlin?"

Arthur laughed humourlessly. "Merlin – he's the source of magic on the Excalibur. As long as you have him, you all will be fine. Now go."

* * *

Gwen smiled as the warm sun shone down on her. Merlin lay by her side, exhausted from showing her his invisible spell.

"It was pretty cool, wasn't it? Worth all that effort."

"Very," laughed Gwen. "Pity you can't make Excalibur disappear."

Merlin shrugged. "It's just a matter of practice. I started out only being able to make a mug disappear. Now I can make a person disappear."

They lay on the sand near the cove where they had docked the Excalibur. Shielding her eyes, Gwen looked at the ship, her home for as long as she can remember. She knew every nook and cranny of the ship – that one cabin which had a door that didn't close properly, that one squeaky board on the deck. She had vague memories of her mother playing hide and seek with her when she was young, before the scurvy had taken her. She remembered her father teaching her how to rig the ship then telling her that one day the ship would be hers, that it would her legacy to continue to pirate the seas.

"I don't want to go back on Excalibur." Gwen never thought those words would leave her mouth, but when they did, instead of guilt, it was as if a weight had been lifted.

Merlin's fingers curled around hers. "Excalibur is your life."

"Maybe it's not the life I want."

"Are you sure this isn't about the Camelot attack?"

"No. Maybe." She sighed.

"This battle against Camelot was inevitable since you kidnapped the crown prince," Merlin pointed out. "What do you want to do with Arthur?"

And that was the question that had been plaguing her since breakfast. "I'm going to let him go when the navy comes."

"Uther is still going to attack."

"I know," she said quietly. "We'll survive."

He squeezed her hand. "We will."

Letting her head drop to the side, Gwen smiled at Merlin and nodded. They would survive. She just wasn't so sure about her heart.

"You survived Lancelot," said Merlin quietly, easily reading her mind.

"I did."

She would survive Arthur too.

* * *

"Arthur."

He lifted his head as she entered the room. Seated at the edge of the bed, he smiled slightly. "You sound surprised. Did you think I was going to run away?"

"You should have." She walked toward him, letting him take her hands and tug at her until she stood between his spread legs. "Why didn't you?"

Slowly, he slid one arm around her waist. "Because if I did, I wouldn't be able to do this." With his free arm, he cupped her face and brought it down to his until their lips met and she sighed into his kiss.

Her own hands twisted in his hair as she deepened the kiss, letting the taste and feel of him drive away all the worry and doubts in her mind. Leaning against him, she pushed until he fell back onto the bed and she lay atop him.

"When do we leave?" Arthur asked.

"Tomorrow, before dawn."

Arthur's smile was tinged with sadness and he lifted his head to press another kiss at the side of her mouth. "Good. We still have most of the day and the whole night left."

"Arthur, we have to talk –"

He placed a finger on her lips. "Gwen. I know that soon, we'll be standing opposite each other, but for now, I want us to be together. I don't want to talk about things we can't change."

The confirmation that Arthur would fight her during the battle sent a sharp pain through her but she pushed it aside. She wanted to be with him too, so she said nothing and buried her face in his neck as his hands ran up her sides, pushing up her shirt.

"Let's have today, hmm?" He said against her cheek. "Just us, together."

Lifting her head, she looked down at him, noticing for the first time the tenderness in his eyes. "Just us," she whispered and kissed him once more.


	10. Chapter 10

Arthur threaded his way through the crowds that thronged the market, something made more difficult by the large bag of supplies he was hauling. And it was far from the only bag. Elena had certainly made good use of the Fisher King's treasure. Then again, who knew when they would feel safe enough to land again?

Everyone else was on the ship, readying it for launch. Elena had heard news of a merchant ship that sank recently in a nearby reef and the fact that the reef was in a direction away from Camelot made it a good place to head towards.

Passing the stall that sold the hairclip Gwen liked, he paused.

"You're the one who came by with your girl – lovely girl, she was." The owner of the stall studied him closely.

Arthur found himself agreeing, as his eyes scanned the table for that clip Gwen had liked.

"Are you perchance looking for this?" In his palm was the butterfly clip he was looking for. "I remember your girl looking very pretty in it."

Sweet words from a merchant were rarely trustworthy, but this once, Arthur had to agree with him. Unfortunately, Arthur had nothing of value on him, everything taken by Gwen when he'd been captured.

Regretfully, he shook his head. "Thank you, but it's not something I can afford right now."

"Ah." Disappointment crossed the merchant's face. "Perhaps next time. Although, that would be if you come to Camelot."

About to turn away, Arthur stilled at the merchant's words. "Camelot?"

"Yes. It's time to move on. Don't like staying in one place for too long - might piss off too many people." He grinned, a gold teeth glinting in the sun. "Although, I've heard rumours that a war might be approaching Camelot - you haven't heard about that, have you son?"

His heart stopped. "A war?"

"Or so they say. A ship from Camelot was here a week ago. Guess you heard nothing on the seas." The merchant shrugged.

"A week ago? Do you know which ship?"

"Which ship?" The merchant laughed. "I'm a salesman. Not a deckhand. But some soldiers were here, drunk and noisy – said Camelot was itching for a war. They say a neighbouring kingdom has been making raids over the borders." His voice dropped to a whisper and Arthur found himself leaning over the table full of goods to hear his words. "And there is talk that their prince is missing."

Even as dread pooled in Arthur's stomach, he managed a smile at the merchant. "I'm sure there's nothing to those stories."

"Who knows? Remember, if you ever have some coin and are in Camelot, pay me a visit."

His heart heavier than anything he carried, Arthur trudged up the ship. His thoughts churned in his mind – his desire to be with Gwen, his obligations to a kingdom he loved. How did things get so complicated? Blindly, he walked onto the ship. Elena curtly directed him to place the supplies in the hold, and he obliged. As he walked out of the hold, still deep in thought, Arthur ran right into Gwen, whose eyes sparkled as she looked up at him.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long."

"Thought I'd escaped?" Immediately, her face fell and he regretted his words. "Sorry. I didn't mean that."

Her smile was insincere and her tone, dismissive. "Of course, you did." Not waiting for him to answer, she walked away.

* * *

Gwen leaned over the side of the Excalibur, her hair not in her usual braid, flying in the wind. She was laughing at something Merlin said and Arthur smiled. Next to him, Percy stood barking orders at Mordred and a few other cabin boys as they practiced rigging square sails. Despite all his bellyaching, Mordred had skill.

Arthur shifted, making himself comfortable as he leaned against some barrels. "How long have you been sailing?"

Percy cast a slightly suspicious look at him, but answered anyway. "Since I was about Mordred's age. Saw my first ship while I was just a babe and knew I wanted to be on it. After Cenred slaughtered my family, there wasn't any reason to remain in my village."

"You're from Essetir." Arthur turned to face Percy squarely as unease churned in his gut.

"Enemy of Camelot," said Percy solemnly, but there was an undercurrent of mirth in his tone.

Arthur crossed his arms. "I can't imagine you're a loyal subject after what Cenred did."

"I am loyal only to Gwen. Her father took me in when I had nowhere to go."

"Good." And Arthur meant it. Gwen would need a loyal crew when the Camelot navy arrived. He wondered if his father would send the whole navy or if the looming war would make his father keep some ships close to home. "Looks like Mordred would make a pretty good rigger."

"Scales the ropes like a monkey. He'll be good with some effort. Seems like you've been a good influence on him."

Pushing himself from the barrel he was leaning on, Arthur shook his head. "He's a good kid beneath all that sullenness. He just needs some attention."

"I'll bear that in mind." Percy looked back up at the deckhands and yelled at them to come down. "You want to check their work?"

Arthur nodded. "Sure."

Passing Mordred, Arthur patted Mordred on the shoulder. The pride on Mordred's face made Arthur smile. Perhaps Mordred would amount to something more than just a sullen, angry kid.

After checking the riggings, Arthur stood in the crow's nest and surveyed the Excalibur – the ship Gwen loved so much. She was a gorgeous ship, strong and proud, much like her owner. Absently, he ran his hand along the solid wood of the crow's nest. He looked down. Elena was with her guns, lovingly rubbing them down. She had been unsurprisingly significantly colder to him since they returned to the ship. Arthur was certain she was just waiting for the moment that he would betray them all. Gwen was chatting with Merlin, her hair dancing in the wind and Percy was lecturing the deckhands, including Mordred. They'd left the port just a day ago and it appeared that life on Excalibur had returned to normal, at least on the surface. Even the brief tension between him and Gwen had fizzled out when he'd found her in her bunk and apologized again. She'd forgiven him quite passionately and they'd spent the night curled together in her bed. He remembered waking in the morning, his right arm numb from Gwen's weight, his mouth full of her hair, and staring at her, a feeling he didn't want to name filling him.

Lifting his eyes, he scoured the surrounding waters, looking in the direction of Camelot. He missed her – the familiar sounds and smells of the castle, his men and even in some way, his father. He hoped that the merchant had been wrong about the war and that his kingdom was still at peace and safe. Still, he knew with his father's desire to expand their borders, the prospect of conflict was always looming. Guilt churned in him – he'd been so obsessed with his attraction to Gwen that aside from his attempts at escape in the very beginning, he'd barely thought of Camelot. And now, he was sailing even further from home as war approached her. What kind of leader was he? Perhaps his father had been right when he stripped him of his position in the navy.

He heard someone yell and he looked down to see Percy gesturing for him to get back down.

"It's all good," Arthur said as his feet hit the deck. "They're good at following instructions."

Percy nodded, then turned his attention back to the group of deckhands milling around. In the middle, Mordred stood, back straight, eyes focused on Percy's instructions – a far cry from the petulant, unhappy boy he'd first encountered. Of course, Arthur was smart enough to realize this was probably a temporary thing and Mordred would soon revert to his usual sullen self.

"I can handle things here. The captain might need some help." Arthur looked at Percy but his face was carefully neutral. "Or get some rest. Elena wants you on night shift tonight."

"Thanks." More than two weeks of sailing with the Excalibur and Arthur still couldn't work out how Percy felt about him. Elena on the other hand wore her feelings for him on her sleeves. Since they left the town, she'd been even more hostile, not that he blamed her. Lifting his eyes, Arthur saw that Gwen was still on the quarterdeck with Merlin. Her eyes met his and she smiled causing that strange feeling to blossom in his chest again. Arthur closed his eyes and let out a breath.

As much as he wanted to go to Gwen, as Percy suggested, he had something more pressing to do. So he gave her a slight wave, then turned and walked back down into Gwen's bunk. This morning, when this had been little more than a vague plan in his head, he'd noticed some writing materials on her desk. It was a little strange being in her bunk without her and Arthur refused to look at the bed. Grabbing some piece of paper, ink and a quill, Arthur retreated into his own bunk.

* * *

"Hey," Gwen stood at the door of the gun hold where Elena was. Since Mercia, Elena had been avoiding her. "Thought I would find you here."

"Where else would I be? I'm Elena, the weapons girl." Elena kept her eyes on the canon but the bitterness in her voice was obvious.

Gwen sat down next to Elena. "Did Percy upset you?"

"Percy? He's a sweetheart." Elena's polishing of the canon increased in intensity and Gwen quickly covered Elena's hand with her own.

"It's Arthur and I, isn't it?"

Elena said nothing, pulling her hand from under Gwen and continued polishing the canons. Worried but unwilling to press, Gwen picked up a cloth and moved to the next canon. In terse silence, they polished side by side. Memories of a similar scene played in Gwen's head. Then, Elena was a stowaway on the Excalibur, and sent to the gun hold as punishment for mouthing off at Gwen's father. Feeling sorry for her, Gwen had joined her. She and Elena had spent the whole time grumbling about her father and how unreasonable he was. The hour had passed quickly and by the end, the two of them had laughed so hard, they were in tears – tears of remorse they pretended when Gwen's father came to get them. It was a far cry from the scene now.

"Elena." Dropping the cloth, Gwen twisted her body so she faced Elena. "Talk to me."

Elena dropped her cloth as well but she continued to stare straight ahead. "I thought I was your best friend."

"You are," Gwen said immediately.

"Then why don't you tell me the truth of what is happening between Arthur and you? I'm not blind." Elena continued to stare ahead but, even then, Gwen could see the tension in her jaw.

"What truth?"

Finally, Elena turned to Gwen. "That you care for him. That this isn't just some physical arrangement between the two of you."

Gwen twisted her skirt in her hands as she considered her words. "I thought if I didn't tell anyone, it would be less true."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means," sighed Gwen, "that I don't want to care for him." Then she let her head drop back and Gwen stared up at the ceiling of the gun hold. It looked like it needed cleaning. "There's no future for us. Even if I weren't Captain Gwen – he's going to marry a princess. That's what princes do. Not that I necessarily want a future with him. And of course, there is that little matter of his father wanting to destroy us."

"I don't care about his father's attack – we'll survive it. We've survived so much all these years together." Elena moved so they were sitting hip to hip. Her tone gentled. "Excalibur is the only time I've been happy, that I've belonged. And suddenly it seems like it's all disappearing."

Gwen took Elena's hand. "You said you were thinking of leaving the Excalibur."

"Yeah. I did. I don't think I really meant it."

"No?" Gwen smiled. "I thought life on the Excalibur was too peaceful for you."

A wry smile appeared on Elena's face. "Not the past few weeks."

"It's the uncertainty, isn't it? The fact that we don't know what the future brings for us."

"I certainly never thought it would bring a prince to your bed to disrupt all our lives." Elena's fingers curled around Gwen's hand.

"Do you really think we could have sailed on the Excalibur forever?"

"I hoped. You and Arthur – you're going to let him go, aren't you?" This time, Elena's tone was calm.

"You know me too well. It probably won't stop Uther's attack but you're right. I care about him and I won't use him as ransom."

With a sigh, Elena said, "I hope he's worth it. But you are captain and I'm sorry I made such a fuss in Mercia."

Gwen stopped looking at the dirty ceiling and turned to look at Elena. "You were upset."

"I thought you cared about him more than you cared about Excalibur – about us."

"You were right you know - I haven't been happy on the Excalibur. It's all the pretending, the maintaining of this reputation. Everything decision I make, everything I do – it's just to further this whole thing. I never even wanted to be a pirate!"

"What are we going to do?" Elena asked.

Laughing, Gwen shook her head. "My only skills are commanding a pirate ship. I have no idea. At least you and Percy can join another ship."

"I'll never see you or Merlin."

"Perhaps I'll make a life on land and you can come and visit."

This made Elena laugh. "You know I'm not leaving Excalibur to join any old pirate crew. I'd join another notorious one and imagine what people will say if they see me visiting you."

"Maybe Merlin will have perfected his invisible spell by then and you can visit me invisible."

"Look, I love Merlin as much as you but I'm not letting him use any of his magic on me. You remember the last time –"

"You looked really cute with all that hair."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "I looked like a bush of hair. Anyway I'm happy with my short hair. No more trying to grow it out quickly for me."

"Have you made plans for Camelot's attack? I don't know how long we can outsail them."

"Percy and I have come up with some ideas but frankly, we don't know enough of their navy or their preferred tactics. Also, we're one ship up against a fleet. We definitely need Merlin's magic and Percy is right. We need to focus on defense."

"No destroying of the Camelot navy?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "I apologized already!"

Gwen leaned over and pulled Elena into a hug. "We'll survive it. And then, we'll cross the next bridge when we get to it. And this may sound sappy, but we'll always be friends."

* * *

With Arthur on night duty, Gwen tossed and turned in bed. She missed him next to her, which didn't bode well for the time when he really had to leave the ship. Pulling on a robe, Gwen slipped out of her bed and made her way to the deck where she knew Arthur would be. A few steps onto the deck and she saw, silhouetted again the moonlight, Arthur leaning against the rails. The cold night wind made her shiver and she pulled the edges of her robe closer.

Even before she reached him, he turned and in the moonlight, she could see the smile that grew on his face. It complemented the little dance her heart did. He didn't move, but she could feel his eyes on her as she made her way to him. The moment she was within arm's length, he held her waist and pulled her close, his lips covering hers.

"You're on guard duty. You shouldn't be distracted." When Arthur finally ended the kiss, she slid one palm down his chest, her other hand still tangled in his hair.

"Then you shouldn't be here, distracting me."

Wriggling out of his hold, Gwen crossed her arms. "So it's my fault?"

"No." He took a step towards her yet didn't touch her. His breath fluttered against her face. "It's entirely my fault for letting you worm your way under my skin like that."

"I'm an irritation. Is that what you're saying?" Gwen bit down on her lower lip, trying to stop herself from smiling. Her fingers curled into her palms so she wouldn't touch him. Two could play this game.

Somehow, even without touching her, Arthur seemed to have moved even closer. "If you were an irritation, I'd be happy to be rid of you. Yet, that doesn't seem to be the case."

He was so close all she had to do was tilt her face up, and she'd be able to brush her lips against his jaw. But she didn't. "Seeing that you're my captive, I think I am the one with the power to decide if I want to be rid of you."

"That's very true." He dipped his head a little so his lips brushed against her ears. "So, what are your orders, Captain?"

"I think for now, another kiss with suffice." Arthur obliged, his fingers threading into her hair, his thumb rubbing against her cheek. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself closer, dropping her head back as his lips grazed her throat. "We should stop."

"You say that with no conviction." He chuckled against her throat, the vibrations sending desire shooting through her.

Gwen closed her eyes. "You should be keeping watch. If we're ambushed –"

Arthur's hand was at her hip, smoothing over her trousers, sliding over her thighs. "Perhaps you should keep watch."

"Must I remind you that I get to give the orders?" Gwen said on a sigh.

Arthur nipped her shoulder. "If you keep watch, I promise it'll be worth it."

"Deal."

When, instead of rewarding her, Arthur pulled away, Gwen opened her eyes about to protest, only to see him smiling far too smugly at her.

"You can't keep watch with your eyes closed. Keep them open." At her nod, Arthur resumed his trail of kisses along her shoulder and collar bone. He mouthed her breast over her light shirt then moved lower and lower, until he knelt in front of her, his hands cupping her hips. "Keep your eyes open."

Her legs could barely hold her up and keeping her eyes open was a feat in itself. She tangled her fingers in Arthur's hair for support as he undid the ties on her trousers. The cool night air blew against the bare skin Arthur exposed, raising goose bumps. When Arthur's lips brushed against her exposed inner thigh, she shuddered and tensed, warmth flooding her. Unconsciously, she tilted her hips, trying to bring more of her in contact with Arthur.

"Arthur."

"Keep your eyes open. We don't want a surprise attack."

"No one attacks at night." Gwen groaned when he pressed a wet kiss against her inner thigh.

"Perhaps a fire then." He bit her thigh lightly when her eyes fluttered close. "You should watch in case there's a fire."

Gwen blinked several times but kept her eyes open, her fingers digging into Arthur's skull. The undulation of the ship under her didn't help. "I am."

"Good." And with that word, Arthur finally settled his lips between her legs.

* * *

Merlin was far too sociable and getting him alone was a challenge in its own right. Eventually, after practically stalking him the whole day, Arthur finally managed to corner him in the hold. More accurately, Merlin suddenly asked Arthur to follow him to the hold. Once the door closed, Merlin turned to him. "Alright. Why have you been following me all around today?"

The lie came immediately. "I wasn't."

"Oh, please. Everywhere I turned, you were lurking. So out with it." Merlin took a step back as suspicion entered his eyes. "Were you hoping to figure out our plans for your attack?"

"I wouldn't call it my attack." But his words lacked conviction and Arthur felt the stirrings of guilt in his gut. But guilt about what, he couldn't figure. "But I am here to talk about it."

Merlin said nothing and continued to watch Arthur warily.

With a sigh, Arthur dug into his pocket and pulled out the parchment he'd been working on. "Take this. It's not poisoned."

"What is it?" Merlin made no move to touch the parchment, earning him a scowl from Arthur who shoved it closer to him.

"If you take it, you'll find out." Arthur snapped. The guilt was already eating at him. This time he knew the source. He was the Prince of Camelot and he was doing this.

This time, Merlin gingerly took the parchment and slowly unfolded it. He frowned, tilting his head. "What are you keeping from Gwen? What is this?"

"What does it look like?"

"It looks like a bird with muddy feet decided to walk all over -"

Arthur lunged towards Merlin and grabbed the parchment out of his hands, slamming it down on a nearby table. "Look. These are ships."

Merlin tilted his head again. "They look like worms to me."

"Merlin."

A quick grin crossed Merlin's face before he quickly hid it. "So ships. Yes."

With a strangled groan, Arthur jabbed a finger at the parchment. Passing Merlin the parchment was supposed to be enough. Explaining it felt like even more of a betrayal. "These. Are. Ships."

Crossing his arms, Merlin lifted his brows. "So you keep saying."

"Camelot ships."

"Oh." Arthur took great pleasure in the shock that wiped Merlin's suspicious look off his face. Taking a step closer, Merlin peered at the parchment on the table. "So this is -"

"Yes." Arthur waved a hand. He didn't want to talk about this anymore. On his heel, he turned and made his way to the door.

"Wait. Why don't you just give this to Gwen?"

His hand on the door, Arthur stopped but didn't bother to turn back. "I don't want her to feel guilty and refuse to use it."

He heard Merlin chuckle. "Less than a month and you know her so well."

"Shut up." Yanking open the door, Arthur walked out.

* * *

It was a few days later and Percy was teaching the deckhands again, leaving Arthur to wander the decks. As he scanned the horizon, his mind drifted to Gwen, as it always did. It was stock take time and she was busy, even spurning his offer to help, telling him that he would be more of a distraction than help. Not that she was wrong. He smiled, remembering how he'd distracted her from her logbooks the night before.

Then, he noticed the smoke.

He didn't have a spyglass with him so he rushed over to where Percy was still lecturing the deckhands.

"Problem?" Percy stopped mid-lecture and turned to him, frowning.

"There's a ship on fire." Arthur kept his voice low. Knowing what he knew of Gwen now, he was certain she would demand they rescue the ship under the guise of robbing them. "North."

Unhooking his spyglass from his hip, Percy strode towards the quarterdeck where Elena stood. Arthur followed, aware of the eyes of the deckhands on them. Standing slightly apart as Percy relayed the news to Elena, Arthur watched as Elena lifted her own spyglass and stared out into the sea. Turning on his heel, Arthur walked to the hold where Gwen was.

"What do you want to do?" Percy asked quietly when Gwen and Merlin finally arrived.

"What we always do. Change our course."

"Yes, captain." Together, Merlin and Percy left the quarterdeck, presumably to get ready for the rescue.

Leaning against the fiferail, Gwen turned to him as she braided her loose hair. "I thought it would be nice to not braid my hair for a while. Now look at the mess it's in."

"You still look beautiful." Arthur took one step towards her. Then another until he was almost touching her. "I suppose we're off to rescue another burning ship?"

"I suppose there's no point trying to be the bloodthirsty and cruel pirate you think I am." Only the little twitch of her lip told Arthur she wasn't completely serious. He reached one arm out and pulled her towards him. Her smile widened as she pressed against him. "I can be bloodthirsty and cruel if you want."

Dipping his head, Arthur nipped her bottom lip. "The only cruelty you're capable of is arousing me this way, then abandoning me."

With a laugh, Gwen pressed her palms against his chest and pushed herself out of his hold. "I have a ship to rescue. Are you going to help or not?"

Arthur grinned, leaning against the rail as he watched her walk off, her hips swaying, beckoning him to follow her. So he did. Slowly, Arthur walked down the quarterdeck, to where the main crew stood on the main deck. Unsurprisingly, Elena cast him a withering look as he joined them but she bit her tongue.

"We should be approaching the ship in twenty minutes. Then we'll lower the gangplanks and storm the ship. Merlin should be able to put out the fire easily as long as we keep the crew distracted."

Elena spoke. "We should take some valuables, for appearances."

"Fine. But don't go overboard." Gwen turned and squinted into the horizon. "Percy, get the sails rigged. I'll lead the crew on the ship. Merlin you hang back."

With a sharp nod of his head, Percy left the group, followed by Elena. "Keep an eye on the ship," Gwen said, handing him her spyglass. Glad to have been given something to do, Arthur snagged the spyglass from her hand and walked to the quarterdeck. Lifting the spyglass, he watched the ship. It was nothing out of the ordinary - it looked like every other merchant ship. Arthur was pretty sure that once they saw Gwen's bright red flag, they would surrender easily. No reason to go up against the scourge of the seven seas. He laughed at the thought.

He peered through the spyglass again and the smile on his face faded.

A familiar flag with the symbol of a dragon on it fluttered in the wind. Arthur kept looking, wishing that his eyes were playing tricks on him. But they weren't.

It was a merchant ship from Camelot.


End file.
